Living on Your Knees
by Takada Saiko
Summary: The team thinks they've found a surprisingly harmless 084, but when it begins to affect their objectivity they may need to bring in an outside consultant.
1. Part One

A/N: I'd like to give fair warning on this one: the plot bunnies would not leave me alone. Blame them. I'm not sure I know the characters well enough (with the exception of a couple of them that we've met before) to be comfortable writing them just yet, so please excuse an OOC. I'm obsessive about keeping characters in character, so please let me know if you see it so that I can tweak it. Also, with work picking up, I probably will not be able to update daily as I used to. Apologies.

Oh, and as a secondary note, this is within the same head-cannon as my series, in that the events of Phil and Loki's exchange of information in _Fractured Reflections_ takes place. You have been warned.

* * *

**Living on Your Knees**

"There's no poetry in my soul,

Just a list of lies I've told.

And I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

_Stitches_, Young Guns.

* * *

It was just a box. A box that seemed to react ever so slightly to its surroundings, but harmless nevertheless. That was the report that Fitz and Simmons were busy scribbling into their electronic notes when Skye peeked around the corner.

"Are we taking that thing into the plane?" she asked cautiously.

"As of now I don' know why not," Fitz answered as he scanned some of the sparse data the little dwarf bots had returned. "Looks like a bit of an overreaction to it."

"I don't think there's such thing as an overreaction after last time," Skye grumbled, eyeing the little cube suspiciously, almost like she expected it to explode for no reason at all.

"Don't be like that. It's rather... sweet," Simmons almost cooed, reaching over to run a gloved hand across the seemingly smooth outer shell. Small veins pulsed faintly with blue light as she did and it made a soft sound. "See? It purrs."

"Or it's thinking if the best way to open on up and take your hand down its hidden throat," the hacker growled. "Is it alive?"

Both scientist tilted their head, mirroring the other's actions. "Sort of," they finally said together.

"How can you be_ sort of_ alive?"

"Alive or dead or somewhere in between, have you cleared it?" Ward's irritated voice filled the small area they were working in. He glared. "And in English. Is this thing going to blow a hole in the side of the plane?"

"We haven't seen anything to make us think it will. It's energy levels are low and steady, but we've only had a couple hours with it. "

"And that's all Coulson is giving you. You knew that."

Simmons frowned and Fitz looked insulted by the clipped words, but neither exploded at Ward like they would have just a few weeks before. They were getting better, if for that.

"Least we're not getting shot at this time," the engineer grumbled.

"Have you seriously never watched a movie in your life?" Skye demanded. "Don't say things like that."

"Coulson and Agent May are waiting. Would you two pack it up and come on?" Ward snapped.

"What caught hold of him today?" Simmons asked in a hushed tone, opening the ready containment unit. It let out a quiet hiss and any residual "purring" ceased as it was eased in, the light-veins disappearing and the small cube going entirely dark.

"So is there a reason Coulson wouldn't come down?" Skye asked as they started towards the jeep that would take them to the plane.

"Can't say for sure."

"I heard a rumour about him not being allowed on this island for some political reason. Sure it's a bunch of rubbish," Fitz said with a shrug.

"Like most rumours that float around the academy levels about high end operatives," Ward piped in as he jumped over the door rather than opening it. With the ease that he moved the others thought it might have taken longer to open it than to jump. He turned his gaze towards their resident consultant. "If you hadn't guessed already, Agent Phil Coulson is a bit of a legend to some of the new kids."

"Don't let him fool you," Fitz said as he carefully placed the containment unit with the little cube inside of it into the seat and followed after it, pulling it protectively into his lap. "You should have seen the look on his face when he found out Coulson wasn't dead."

"_You_ didn't see the look on my face," Ward grumbled.

"But we all heard about it," Simmons chirped with a bright smile.

The field agent gave an irritable snort and started the jeep. It had been a long forty-eight hours of constant moving and while he'd never admit it out loud, he was looking forward to a shower and some sleep. The report of the 084 had come in directly following a case of much lesser importance, sending them straight into the air. He'd taken to the notes of what little they knew. It was an unknown object discovered on an island so small that he hadn't even heard of it. It was buried in the sand, they were told, deep as if it had crashed there and simply sunk many years ago. Maybe it had.

Now the local geniuses had OK'd it and he'd be able to meet his fluffy pillow face first if he so chose, and he was pretty sure that's what he'd settled on. He was so set on the idea that he hardly took the time to acknowledge Coulson - looking more like he'd spent the last few hours staring at a screen on a conference call than finding ways to be exiled off an island that didn't house a single native person on it - as he came into garage level. He gave a half nod, half salute as he moved past, only being stopped by a thin hand grabbing his wrist and it was everything he could do not to spin around and clock the person across the head on instinct.

"Hey, if you go running off you can't give me hell later on training."

Ward blinked at Skye, his brain clicking into slow gear and finally grinding through her meaning as he glanced down at his wrist watch. 1600. Training. Damn. "You've got the basics. I shouldn't have to babysit you through every step. Get in there and get to work."

She stood staring at him even as he all but stalked out of the hanger, leaving his teammates and boss behind. Skye turned back to see Coulson offer her an easy shrug and continue to speak with the two scientists about their new pet project. "Get it secured and get strapped down. May wants to get us in the air and we'll get it to a secure facility."

"We're not going to slingshot it, are we?" Simmons asked, her voice not doing much to hide the worry.

"Attached that fast? We don't know for sure yet. Get it strapped down and we'll get into the air."

* * *

"I can't help but think there's something deeper inside that the probes aren't picking up on."

Leo Fitz looked up from his notes that he'd been working on and glanced over at his partner. She had been staring at the contained cube for the past half hour as if she'd cause whatever she thought was inside to leap out simply by wishing it to happen.

"If there was something to find, they would have found it," Fitz answered.

"I don't know, they don't seem to react well to it. Did they seem a bit-"

"Sluggish? Yeah, I noticed that too."

"I mean, Happy _never_ drains that fast and Doc's all but powered down."

"Bashful didn't even give up the data before he quit on me."

The two SHIELD scientists stopped and looked at each other, both allowing their gazes to trail down to the cube in unison. "That's not something we miss," Simmons murmured.

"Not in a million years," Fitz agreed.

Jemma gave a short laugh, rolling her eyes. "That's just silly. Nothing in our readings has shown any sign of anything that would alter awareness or-"

"We should let Agent Coulson know."

"Didn't we already?"

"No. We just started talking about it."

"No, I'm _sure_ we called him half an hour ago about it." Simmons stood, starting towards the communicator against the wall. "See? There's a log right here… There's nothing. I could have sworn we'd called him."

"Called who?" Coulson asked from the door. "Because I've been waiting for the two of you to give me your update on this thing. We're at a point that we need to make a decision if we're just taking it to a secure facility or if we're taking it to a slingshot location."

"Seems fine, sir," Fitz said with a shrug. "Nothing out of the usual."

"No, there was something. We were just talking about it," Simmons snapped.

Coulson stood in the doorway, hazel eyes bouncing back and forth between his two genius scientist who had gone from normal to squabbling in the matter of seconds. They'd begun shouting at each other now, both leaned over the table with the container in the middle of them. The elder agent stepped forward, careful and silent as he reached the edge of the table and saw a faint glow from the containment box. The blue light was pulsing, echoing softly off the glass that surrounded it and there was a low rumble that was only audible to someone that was listening. "How long has it been doing this?" he asked, effectively breaking their spat mid-shout.

"Doing what?" they asked together and looked to where their boss pointed down at the box.

"It's purring again," Simmons whispered and Coulson quirked an eyebrow.

"Out."

"What?"

A sigh escaped the elder man. "Something's… wrong here. It's clouding your judgement. Out of the room and and I'll let May know we don't have any other choice than to make our way to a slingshot location."

"You _can't_!"

Even Fitz seemed surprised with the sharp reaction in his partner and his eyes widened when she made a grab for the containment box, fingers just looping around the handles when Coulson took it from her, his usual easy demeanor less so as he barked for them to both get out again. The whole room shook, sending three pairs of eyes wide and the box was instantly released, clattering down to the table, small cracks running along the box.

"Lock the room down," Coulson order. "It's feeding off live energy."

The three agents barely made it out the door when the box that had been containing what should have been a fairly harmless cube shattered outward, a faint blue light pulsing behind it. As the energy slammed against the door, nearly knocking him off his feet, Coulson took a moment to think about how he hated 084's. Well, hate was a strong word. He hadn't hated Thor's hammer. That had been an interesting adventure that had led them on even more interesting adventures, but the last couple had been terrible. He really wasn't a fan of the trend.

_"Coulson?"_ May's voice came over the intercomm.

"What is it? We've got a bit of a problem."

_"Bigger than you might think. Something's thrown the plane's systems out of joint. I have no outgoing or incoming signals. Only internal."_

Phil gave a low sound of frustration, mind spinning. He turned his attention to the two very frazzled looking scientists. "Will this door hold?"

"It should."

"Should or will?"

"Sir, we've been looking at this all wrong from the beginning."

"Yeah. I'd say it wanted you to."

"What _is_ that thing, Agent Coulson?" Simmons asked, her voice small.

"I've got an idea that I'd rather be wrong. Just keep it contained. I have faith that the two of you can do that. And keep each other accountable. Don't let anyone in there."

"Yes sir."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking-"

Coulson flashed a smile. "I'm going to find someone that might have a better clue as to how to keep this under wraps until we can get it off our planet."

Fitz and Simmons didn't bother trying to argue that the outgoing communications were down. Somehow with Coulson things like that never seemed to matter.

* * *

TBC

A/n: So... I have to admit that third episode into the series that I'm a little disappointed. There was no Thor commercial. Yep, that's the only disappointment thus far.


	2. Part Two

A/N: It never fails... If I say I'm not going to be able to update on a daily basis, that's when the next chapter is able to go up the next day. Ah well.

* * *

**Part Two.**

The halls were… quiet. No parties were planned for the evening, no urgent meetings to attend, no catastrophes that threatened the whole nine realms and beyond - be it of his making or otherwise. Even Odin had taken a trip away from Asgard, leaving Thor as the temporary ruler of the realm and his adopted son in an increasingly rare state of solitude.

The younger prince of Asgard found himself standing in the marble hallway, trying to wrap his mind around it. It had been some time since he'd heard such silence.

"M'lord?" a stuttering voice said from the bend of the hallway. Loki turned his emerald gaze back, dark brows twitching down and together at the sight of the servant that stood wringing his hands. "M'lord?"

"Yes? What is it?" the second prince asked with more snap to his voice than he meant. All forbid that he _enjoy_ the few moments of silence he'd found.

"Heimdall requires your presence."

"And does Heimdall think himself so great a station that he might order the son of his king to his presence?"

"He did not say, m'lord. He… well he… He only asked that you come."

Loki watched the round message-bringer for a moment, knowing that his steady gaze was causing even greater discomfort and he could not bring himself to care. Finally he pushed a sigh through his nose, coming out in more of a huff, and waved a thin hand in the air, dismissing the servant. He watched him scurry away and could almost hear his brother in his mind chastising him for being uselessly cruel. He pushed the little voice aside as he walked, knowing that to have Thor's overreaching kindness picking away at his every action would make him little more than a doormat for Heimdall's usual irritation that accompanied any time that he was forced to speak with Odin's adopted son. Some really should learn to let things go.

The Gatekeeper stood at his post, tall and his golden eyes almost brooding as Loki approached. He was unphased by the broad, charming smile that the prince flashed him, giving a somewhat mocking bow. "You called, good Heimdall?"

"You are in fine spirits this morning," Heimdall groused, appearing to be in no better.

"Yes, I'd been looking forward to something I've seen little of in the last collection of years: a bit of time to myself."

Heimdall might have quirked an eyebrow beneath his helmet, but it was difficult to say. He waited until he saw the second prince shift his weight in a sign of impatience. "Your brother's friends on Midgard require your assistance, as part of our agreement with their people."

Thin lips twitched downward. "The Avengers? Why aren't you calling for Thor then? I'm not meant to go alone. That is also part of the agreement."

"One that you often ignore for your own purposes," the Gatekeeper said pointedly.

An entertained smile flashed across the trickster's face. "This is not untrue," he agreed.

"And it is not the Avengers. The Son of Coul seems to need your specific skillset."

"Specifically me?"

The Gatekeeper did not answer, merely stared unblinkingly at him.

"Hmm," Loki hummed softly. Coulson and he had spoken only a handful of times since his disasterous trip to Midgard where he'd nearly killed the SHIELD agent. Granted, one of those handful of times had been to deliver a set of notes that promised to be very useful should the Midgardian agency ever find themselves or any of their allies pit against Thanos. It had obviously done something to win him favour, but he had hardly expected to be called individually for something. Fury was still convinced that the god of mischief's mere presence might cause some sort of massive explosion and countless fatalities. "Did he say what it was for?"

"I have seen."

"Don't tell me everything all at once now."

Heimdall most certainly scowled from beneath his helmet and Loki grinned broadly as he felt his own magic pull and he caught glimpses of what the Gatekeeper had seen. The smile turned to a frown at the he watched clips of the events that had unfolded in the past hour. "Coulson has a new team of children." Green eyes flickered to meet gold. "I'd appreciate if you would not bother my brother with this unless absolutely necessary."

"Though it pains me to agree, Thor has a tendency to chase after you."

"With Father gone _someone_ should watch the realm," Loki acknowledged, a bit more amusement seeping into his voice. "Though of course I might stay and we can allow Thor to fumble around with this threat in my place."

"You need not convince me further, Silvertongue. Do you require the Bifrost?"

"When do I?" Loki asked and faded from the realm.

* * *

Phil Coulson liked to think he was a fairly intelligent individual, but even he was not quite sure he would ever fully understand the communication system that Thor had mapped out should they ever need anything. By mapping out, Thor had simply meant that SHIELD was given the knowledge that Asgard's Gatekeeper would be able to hear their call for help. The agent tried not to think about the fact that that probably meant that the towering Asgardian heard more than just requests for help.

Coulson sank into the chair behind his desk and let his face fall into his hands, fingers massaging at his temples as if it might ward off the headache that threatened. He had to be going crazy to have even tried, he decided, but with the newest report from May saying that the plane seemed trapped in auto pilot mode and communications completely cut off, he was running shy on options.

The air in the room seemed to shift and the SHIELD agent perked, gaze shifting through split fingers.

"You mortals and your curiousity. Someday it will be the end of you."

Coulson did his best not to jump at the drawl that came from behind him. He turned to see the face that matched the voice, green eyes sparkling with more amusement than he was comfortable with. "I was expecting your brother."

One dark eyebrow shot up. Damn Heimdall. He'd certainly gone out of his way to make it sound as if Coulson had requested him personally. The trickster was sure he'd find a way to return it quickly enough. "Really? You wanted Thor, god of thunder, to handle the delicate, potentially lethal foreign technology that you've unearthed in a condensed space such as this? You might as well have saved time and called your large green friend to take a swing at it. It might cause less overall damage."

"Point taken."

Loki's thin lips stretched, but some of the entertainment had left his gaze. It was replaced with a more serious tone, one that did nothing to ease Coulson's discomfort.

"You might be the better man for the job," the agent continued. "Being as well... traveled as you are. I take it you already know what we're in possession of?"

Thin shoulders eased up and sank back down in a half shrug. "Not entirely. I'll need to see it and then... Well we'll see what I'm able to do."

"Fair enough," Coulson said as he stood, careful never to turn his back on the tall Asgardian. He was sure the prince had noted this as well as the smile stretched wide again.

They walked down the hallway and Loki listened intently to the details of what had happened, nodding appropriately up until the point that Coulson explained the change of personality in his scientists and energy pulse. The prince stood still in his tracks. "Bickering is an oddity for them?"

"Like that it is."

Thin lips twitched as Loki approached the door, eying a particular bump that must have been a dent in the other side.

Coulson touched his ear, listening. "I've got to check on something," he said, gaining only a bit of the trickster's attention. "Don't spook my team and don't touch anything. I'll be right back."

Loki gave a half nod in response, fingers ghosting over the door. There was something of immense power on the other side, though it was well cloaked or barely holding on, he wasn't sure. Green eyes glanced down either way of the corridor before his magic shifted the locks and bolts, allowing it to slide open.

There was a box sitting on the table, small and fairly inconspicuous. It was dark, though as he approached it started to make a small, faint noise and blue veins pulsed gently. He'd just reached out to it when he heard the door slide open again and a panicked voice say "You shouldn't be in here! Who are you?"

Nimble fingers curled back in and Loki turned to see one of Coulson's team. He watched as recognition seemed to take hold of her and she began to stutter, pressed against the now closed door. "I know you. You brought the aliens. In New York. You're-"

"Here at Agent Coulson's request," Loki said easily.

"But why would he call _you_?"

"Why not make use of potential knowledge?"

Simmons didn't have an answer for that, but even if she had she wouldn't have had time to give it. The door slid open behind her, nearly sending her falling through, but instead she felt one strong hand grab her by the lab coat and she found herself suddenly staring at Grant Ward's back.

Loki tilted his head at the new presence, barely acknowledging the fact that a gun was now trained on him. "Hello."

"Don't move," Ward growled dangerously.

Loki's eyes narrowed slightly at the gun and he thought of Coulson standing in a holding bay with a gun nearly as big as he was and this younger agent hardly looked threatening. Ward barely got a shot off before the dark haired prince was in his face, hand wrapped around the barrel of the gun and forcing it up to the ceiling. His arm only twinged where the bullet had ripped cloth and skin, leaving a small trail of blood from a superficial wound in its wake, but he gave silent credit that the mortal had been quick enough to get the shot off at all.

Ward waisted no time in bring his free hand up to take a swing, but Loki caught that as well before tossing the now bent and useless weapon to the floor and hauling the young agent up by his collar.

"_Loki_! What did I say about spooking my team? That goes for maiming them too!"

Green eyes rolled in agitation and the second prince if Asgard dropped the mortal human to the ground, watching as surprise took Ward's feet from under him and he sat down hard.

Coulson continued to glare. "What did I say about not touching anything?" he demanded and Loki only shrugged.

"He attacked. I'm not going to allow myself to be shot to save your new pets' nerves."

"What the hell is he doing here?" Grant demanded as he picked himself up off the floor.

"He might be able to help."

"I go to sleep for one hour in forty-eight and the entire plane goes crazy."

Coulson didn't dignify the snark with an answer, but instead turned to see Loki inching towards their cube again. "Any ideas?"

"We've seen an increase of cross-dimensional technology as of late," the Asgardian said almost absently as he returned to look closer at the cube that was still reacting in the same way it had when Simmons had entered. He bent down close to it, though not quite touching it.

"Meaning that people are traveling between dimensions and crossing over technologies?" Fitz asked from the door.

"Exactly. Though Midgard - your earth - may not have easy travel between realms, that does not mean that others do not. The Bifrost, magic, ships that can sail the waters that cascade into the abyss... Creatures of the Nine are creative, and when there is profit to be made... Well that is certainly not limited to one realm or the other. Your realm is on the map now, so to speak, and even your technologies are being wrapped together with others."

"You think _this_ is some sort of combination technology?" Coulson asked, allowing the immortal the room to observe.

"It's certainly not Midgardian technology, from what I see." He stretched out thin hands, a gold light spreading from them and the purr sounded again. "Traces of Asgardian bindings to keep some form of energy inside - see the runes here? - though the casing itself seems to be made by the Dwarves."

"Dwarves?" Ward echoed skeptically. "Like Snow White? Seriously?"

Loki blinked. "What is Snow White?"

"Nothing," Coulson cut off any further comment from the other agent that might turn into an irritable match. "You were saying?"

"Regardless of where the outer shell came from, there is great power beneath it." His fingers touched the smooth surface and the lights that had been faint grew stronger and it was hot to the touch. His eyes widened slightly as he felt the heat increase and it was almost as if it were working its way around his hands and wrists, leaving him with a strange, drained feeling in its wake. He vaguely heard his name and pulled his hands away, realizing that he'd been caught in a daze. The cube pulsed angrily, power building.

"What did you do?" Ward demanded.

"I think I just inadvertently gave it the energy boost it needed. Not my intent. Everyone out!"

No further encouragement was needed as they all but flung themselves into the hallway, Loki using his magic to shield them as the burst of energy followed, throwing mortal and immortal alike from their feet.

* * *

TBC


	3. Part Three

A/N: Ten points to anyone who can guess as to who Loki is comparing Skye to in this chapter.

* * *

Part Three

Loki hit the wall hard, but he was certain that the others felt it more than he did. It knocked Simmons entirely out and Fitz looked more than a little dazed. Coulson was sitting up within a moment, unsteadily, but up, and Ward proved himself to be surprisingly fast as he grabbed the dark haired prince by the collar and shoved him up against the wall.

"Ward!" Coulson snapped, but the younger agent didn't seem to care.

"What the hell did you do in there?"

Loki slowly raised his hand, palms outward, to show he meant no intentional harm. "SHIELD's new toy had a very interesting effect," he said and paused until the mortal agent released him. He tugged at his clothes and dusted them off so it hardly looked like he'd been assaulted twice in ten minutes by the same man. Green eyes shifted to Coulson. "From the brief few moments I had with it, I believe it's a portal generator."

"Like the Tesseract was used for?"

"There have been theories that the Tesseract was once a much larger object and someone discovered a way to split it."

"So that _is_ a Tesseract?" Coulson asked lowly.

"What the hell? Did you guys try to blow another hole in the plane and forget to invite me?"

"The outer shell seems to be stable enough," Loki answered, eyes coming to rest on Skye.

The hacker stopped where she was, all further comments temporarily silenced at the sight of a man she'd only seen on television during one of the worst events in recent times.

Thin lips stretched as she sputtered a moment. "Yes I am," he said simply in a silky smooth voice.

"Back to rule one," Coulson groused.

"I'm not spooking her. Are you frightened, m'lady? See?"

"Don't play with my team either. They're not your toys."

"Well now you've taken all the fun out of it."

"This isn't a game," Ward snapped, but Loki cut him off when he whirled around, voice deadly serious as he met the tall mortal nose to nose.

"I am fully aware of that, Agent Ward. I am also fully aware that there was not enough of a power surge for the door to be pulled open, but when there is, there is a good chance that it will blow a hole in your vessel and, if I understand the mechanics of it properly, take us all down with it. I am also aware of the fact that you humans have a tendency to panic and become quite useless when faced with such issues such as your own very frail mortality, but if you would like to know exactly where we stand, there it is, Agent Ward. This is most certainly _not_ a game." He turned his gaze back to Coulson. "Do you have a place that will contain it?"

"If we can get it into another containment box it should buy us time," Fitz said, helping an unsteady Simmons up.

"The readings must have been malfunctioning when we first picked it up, so we put it in a lower level unit. It blew it to pieces," the biochemist said as she fingered the knot on the back of her head. She glanced to her partner. "Seems to react to heightened emotional states. When you and I were going at it and when Ward and... Are you really an alien?"

Loki blinked. "I'm not from your realm, if that's what you mean. Agent Coulson, might I suggest you remain away from it?"

Coulson nodded at the two scientists, giving them the go-ahead, and waited until Skye couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and had pulled Ward down to her level to whisper questions into his ear. Hazel eyes turned to the Asgardian prince. "Why?"

"Why stay away from it? I thought that much was obvious."

"Well I doubt it's for my own health."

"You wound me, Coulson. I dare say I've become fond of you. It's quite a rarity to find a mortal that can defy death as you did."

"Curiosity is not the same thing as fondness. We'll get you a dictionary."

Green eyes shifted to watch the others, making sure they weren't listening. "In all seriousness," he murmured softly, "if that thing is indeed fueled by the - or even _a_ - Tesseract, it is likely linked somehow. We're both likely to set it off."

"I never was possessed by it."

"No, but a weapon fueled by the Tesseract was shoved through your chest. It's had an affect on you, in one way or another."

"Fair point."

"It's secure, sir," Simmons said as they exited the room.

"And we're putting it in the holding room."

"It's still reading high energy. It's only a matter if time."

"Understood."

"So, let me get this all straight," Skye said as she watched Fitz and Simmons take the dangerous cube away. "We have no control over the plane, May can't seem to regain control, you called the guy responsible for the Battle of New York for help to contain something that might blow us out of the air by opening some sort of transdimintional door."

"Smart class you have here, Coulson," Loki drawled in bored tone.

"That's if the so-called god of mischief doesn't take us down first," Ward grumbled.

* * *

He could feel their gaze on him and he did his best not to prickle at it. The details of what happened in the aftermath of what the mortals had come to call The Battle of New York were, from what he'd been told, vague at best. The whole nuclear issue had been swept under the rug and not a mention was made of the deal struck with Asgard on Loki's part in the whole affair. To these agents that he'd never met, he must be a living nightmare.

"So they've got to have a reason that you're here," Skye said, not for the first time.

Loki pressed his back against the wall that he'd moved against so that she was required to pace in front of him and not around him.

"I mean, you're a freakin' war criminal. Big time." She looked over to Ward. "SHIELD doesn't hire criminals, right?"

"Coulson brought you in didn't he?"

The hacker fumed. "I don't _kill_ people! In mass!"

"Loki Odinson was cleared of the charges and was reported to have been under the same hypnosis as Agent Barton and Doctor Selvig." All eyes turned to Melinda May, but her own dark gaze was fixed on their visitor. "He's now on call if any of his... _expertise_ can be used by SHIELD. I filed the paperwork in the darkest corner of our deepest files myself, per Director Fury's orders."

Loki blinked at her. "It sounds as if you know a all about me. I do appreciate you taking care of the details, Ms..."

"I said I filed it. I didn't say I believed what was written."

Skye plopped down next to him. "So, you can open up to us. We're the good guys here. Why'd you really do it?"

"I know a girl very much like you," Loki said in a sweet tone.

"Is she as cute?"

The Asgardian's smile did not fade. "Perhaps not, but I was sure I'd never find someone quite as irritating. Well done."

Skye simply blinked at him, her mind telling her that the words were meant to be cruel but the tone still sounding so pleasant. She turned a glare on Ward as he actually chuckled across the room. "Oh shut up."

"That things going to blow open and I'd like to know what's on the other side of it," Coulson said as he entered the room, flanked by the two scientists and looking directly at Loki.

"It's difficult to say."

"I brought you in to consult on this for a reason. Your brother's always indicated you're a very creative thinker."

"Yes, well next to my brother who thinks that hitting solves every one of the nine realm's problems I suppose that most would be highly creative. Anyway, I thought you had hoped for Thor to begin with." The trickster stood, green eyes watching each face that was steadily watching him in return and sighed. "It could be anything with half the notion of how to open a door. There are countless species out there beyond the Nine and I can't even begin to describe half that I saw in my short trip through them. I do think that whatever creature is on the other side of that door has the intelligence to know that we are here and that we are a threat to it. It is most certainly using the machine to fight back, even if not in a violent sense. I believe you said you were quite taken with it at first, Ms. Simmons?"

Jemma blushed and laughed a bit, embarrassment radiating from her. "I… well yes."

"Then it knows us," Coulson said thoughtfully.

"This is not an unintelligent enemy way face."

"So how do we face it?" Ward asked.

"If we had control of this craft I would say get it to a place where we could sink the damn thing as deep into the muck as it would go. If I were to teleport it, it would only fuel it quicker, likely blowing this plane and anything within its reach to bits before I could get away with it."

"We have no way to know it's reach," Fitz piped in.

"Exactly."

"So what are you suggesting we do?" May asked as she leaned against the far wall with her arms crossed.

Loki sucked in a deep breath. "My advice? We open up the portal on our terms, pulling it in on our terms, and then destroy whatever comes through. If done carefully, the blast shouldn't be too large and I should be able to contain any aftereffects so that we don't see the same repercussions of a door being opened in confined space as… Well, as last time."

"We've got three combat-cleared individuals, two scientists, and a hacker. That still your advice?"

The Asgardian watched the dark haired woman for a moment, trying to get a read on her. He could not and moved on quickly. "Yes. To leave this to open on its own in hopes that we find a way to regain control in the interim is certain folly and will likely get more than just these few killed."

"We could use your hammer-wielding brother about now," Coulson said with a forced chuckle.

Thin lips twitched downward. "Agent Coulson, Thor is not here and there is true trouble at hand. I think more than your electronic communications have been severed."

* * *

TBC


	4. Part Four

A/N: I'm not going to lie, I think it would be fantastic to Loki and Phil to the point in their friendship (acquaintanceship?) where Loki just kind of appeared at Phil's apartment (he's bound to have one, right? When they're not flying around?) mostly just to freak him out and make him uncomfortable, but partly because he's become truly fond of Coulson. Bit like he does to Jan for any of you that have read Uninvited Guest.

* * *

**Part Four.**

"Let me guess, you don't want to question my orders."

Melida May did not budge. "I don't have to tell you who he is, sir. How dangerous he is."

Hazel eyes turned to look at his team that stood in the hall outside of the containment room. He was putting all of their lives in a known killer's hand. He'd been cleared, so it'd been said, and even the Avengers seemed to reluctantly accept it for the most part, but he couldn't blame her mistrust of him. Hell, he felt like he should hold quite a bit less faith than he found himself with.

"As I told Ward a few minutes ago when he approached me with the same complaint: it's been noted, but we're shy on options."

"Director Fury would tell you no."

"Director Fury isn't having to make this decision for the lives of his team, is he? Loki has experience in this and he could have chosen to walk away. He's sticking it out."

"If it gets dangerous he may run."

"It's a possibility."

"He might change sides."

Coulson sighed. "And it could blow and we'll all die. It's a chance we'll have to take to make sure the latter doesn't become our only option."

"Everything's set," Fitz called, peeking around the corner.

"Or as set as we're going to be," Simmons' voice followed.

May shot Coulson a look but offered no further protest. They found Loki explaining what they could expect in detail, the two scientists the only ones not wearing an expression of utter confusion.

"English," Ward said when he finished.

Loki blinked. "The Asgardian language is such that it naturally translates to whatever language-"

Ward threw up his hands in frustration.

"We get this all the time," Fitz murmured to Loki. "You can speak plain as day and he won't get it less it has to do with shooting something."

"Ah," the dark haired prince said slowly. "In simple terms, a portal will open - as a door - and the energy that the opening process builds has to go somewhere or it'll take us out of the sky in pieces. I should be able to create a...a bubble of sorts to contain it and push it back through, closing it before anything comes through. Is that put plainly enough for you?"

Skye snorted a laugh. "Think he just called you stupid."

"And you were annoying earlier, or had you forgotten? It's noted that he makes his opinions known."

Coulson choked back a heavy sigh. "We don't know what's coming out of that thing. Skye, Fitz-Simmons, outside. I'll need you two to monitor from the lab."

"What can I do?"

Hazel eyes turned to Skye. "If things go bad I want you to use all your skills to close yourselves off and find a way to get this plane to a SHIELD facility."

"And if we can't?" the hacker asked quietly.

"Just get it done." Coulson turned towards the others and a nod was exchanged.

Ward held back as the others started for the containment room. He caught Skye by the wrist and pulled her close enough to speak into her ear. "If if it does go bad, you're the only one with _any_ training in combat, got that? Don't panic. Just remember everything we've been going over."

"Yeah, because if some crazy alien army crushes all of you then I've got so much of a chance," she grumbled, but stopped when he caught her eye.

"You've got a few tricks up your sleeve, right?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah."

"Good. Don't get yourself killed."

"Yeah. You neither."

He turned and she watched them disappear into the containment room, thick door closing them in. She found herself staring a moment, a sinking feeling solidifying the understanding that she'd definitely signed up for a front row seat to one of the weirdest - and most dangerous - shows on earth.

* * *

Cracks had already been made in the second containment box and Coulson shot their visitor a wary look. Loki remained passive and unreadable as he stepped forward, hands outstretched and a faint glow around them. He winced at something, but otherwise showed no sign of what he was thinking.

"This really could be anything, couldn't it?"

The Asgardian glanced back at Coulson. "Yes."

"Worst case?"

"Worst case?" Loki echoed. "Thanos."

The room went silent with the weight of the name.

"Best case is that someone is testing this and it happened to land in your possession. The seemingly violent outbursts were not meant as such and we'll simply close the door off and nothing more will come of it."

"Not so likely though?"

Loki offered a tight smile but said nothing in return.

"We've got energy spikes from the readouts," Simmons voice echoed over the open comm.

"Then it's now or never I'd say," Loki murmured. He felt the energy heighten as he murmured a few words, pulling the door into being. There was a sudden surge and he stumbled back, reminding himself to block the excess energy from injuring his mortal companions. The next blast nearly took him off his feet and part of his mind told him that any tiny possibility of coincidence had been wiped out. He had to crush down the sudden fear that gripped at him that Thanos' face would be the one they saw emerging and remind himself that there was no backing out now, regardless.

His distraction cost them and the last blast before the door opened threw them. He was up in a moment, magic wrapping around the energy and forcing it back through the door. He struggled to contain it, feeling the same stress as fighting against the Tesseract, and finally pushed it through and watched it fold in on itself.

The three SHIELD agents seemed to be able to slowly gather their wits and stared at the at the knelt form of the Asgardian prince that had just shut the portal. His thin shoulders heaved up and down with each gasping breath, and as Coulson stood he could see the sweat shining against pale skin. His hand paused halfway to the immortal when he followed the emerald gaze to see they were not alone.

The form was slender and pale, knelt almost as an identical mirror to Loki and as he raised pale blue eyes to watch them there was a genuine curiosity in them. His blond hair was nearly white and was plastered back and dark shadows marred the skin just under his eyes. He did not bother turning his gaze in the mortals more than a few seconds, the intense pair of eyes coming to rest on Odin's second son and lingering there.

Loki rose slowly, his movements definite and wary. He never broke eye contact with the potential invader, and his lips twitched downward ever so slightly when the others tilted up.

"Loki Laufeyson."

The musical voice made the prince visibly tense and he froze in place.

The newcomer tilted his head. "I've heard quite a bit about you, though I've never met you face to face." Cool eyes flickered briefly and he sneered. "And such company. It seems the rumours are true after all. A shame. I heard you had great potential."

"Who are you and what are you here for?" Coulson asked, watching the figure.

Pale eyes slid over and the smile straightened out. "Such a sad race, wouldn't you agree? They think themselves a contender amongst that have right to rule over them." He smiled at Loki, who had not moved since standing. "What say you, Laufeyson?"

"I say that that is not my name," Loki growled lowly.

The being's lips turned fully into a frown and he stood, lithe and tall. His nimble fingers flickered through the air and he pulled a spear from it, the ornate design looking very familiar with its blue glow. He tilted his head again, studying the prince. "Shame," he murmured.

The three mortals couldn't have followed the speed that the battle erupted in. The blond covered the relatively small distance between himself and Loki faster than any of them could blink and the Tesseract-powered spear slammed into a staff that none of them had seen Loki carry into the room. The sound was harsh and they moved out of the way as to not be caught in the middle of the immortal fight.

Loki was focused, no clever quips or jests falling from his lips as he blocked blow after blow, finding himself fully on defence. The speed that the newcomer possessed was impressive and his strength was more than the dark haired prince thought should be contained within a form no larger than his own. The spear slammed down into his staff and green eyes widened as the ice beneath the illusion began to splinter and snap.

"It's very good to meet you after all I've heard," the attacker said, hardly breaking a sweat. "A shame under these circumstances. Are you really willing to give your life for your brother's pets?"

The trickster glanced back, seeing them standing together with uncertainty only barely contained. That was one point in their favour at least. They'd known to stay out of his way. Slowly a smile began to stretch and he steadied his footing. "I hadn't planned on dying for them."

And then he was gone, only an illusion standing in the place where he'd been and his opponent falling through that and looking up in surprise. Pale eyes darted to the humans just in time to see the Asgardian reappear and flash him a devilish grin. "Enjoy your cage," he offered and then they were all gone.

* * *

TBC


	5. Part Five

A/N: So yesterday I went over to my parents' place to watch the Baylor vs Kansas State football game. Towards the end there was a commercial for Thor: The Dark World and I had the appropriate reaction of fangirling to it. Of course. Perfectly Natural. Mom asks me if Loki is going to be a good guy or bad guy in this one and we start discussing it (have I mentioned my parents are NOT comic book fans?) and Dad asks which one Loki is. Mom says "The ugly one." *sigh* Just... no. No understanding of what goes through her mind sometimes.

Also, I've glanced over this for typos, but I'm in a bit of a hurry today. If you see any, please let me know.

* * *

**Part Five.**

He was gone, just like that. The image faded and the blond invader stumbled through it, the clumsy actions seeming as foreign to him as his very presence was to earth. For a moment all Phil's mind could process was that he'd made the wrong choice and he'd damned his team for good. He couldn't even fathom what had possessed him to trust the so-called god of mischief, the Asgardian that, no matter the excuses made, had come to earth with the purpose of wreaking havoc on them all and had shoved a scepter through his chest, nearly killing him. In the time that had passed since then he'd shown signs of not being opposed to helping - eager was certainly not the term Coulson would have used - but it had been a ruse. For what. For this? There had to be a bigger picture.

May's sharp look affirmed every thought flying through his head.

And then it changed. Loki appeared right in front of them, and in the whirl of… whatever it was, he couldn't force his ears to make out the words the Asgardian was saying. Then they were standing in the lab, or rather kneeling, as none of them except for the Asgardian in question had remained on their feet. Coulson choked back the sick feeling that seemed to be rising in his throat and swallowed hard, forcing himself to his feet.

Loki of all people steadied him. "I understand that it has a rather ill effect the first couple of times. Forgive the lack of warning."

"You just rabbitted us out of there," Coulson choked out.

"You thought I'd left you to die?" the prince asked as if they should have just assumed he'd come back for them. As if it had been perfectly natural.

"The thought had crossed our minds," Ward groused from where he was finally getting to his feet.

Loki's expression flittered from irritated to entertained, finally settling on the smirk that tilted his thin lips. "I suppose I haven't given you much of a reason to trust me."

"And a few reasons not to," the dark eyed agent answered, turning towards the two scientists that were still staring wide-eyed at them all.

"How did you do that?" Simmons managed, stepping forward to poke at Loki's shoulder, as if to make sure that he was there.

"Some form of teleportation device that allows for travel within the same dimension without scattering your molecules all over the.. But there's no device."

Loki looked a bit taken back when the two all but rushed him Simmons circling while Fitz seemed to be working through the mechanics of shifting locations without a device that shouldn't even work to begin with. The prince took a step back and offered what he hoped was a charming smile. "It's a simple shifting spell."

"Spell?" Fitz snorted. "Like magic? Like… Harry Potter or something?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but yes like magic. Will that room hold most anything?"

"It's meant to," Simmons said, rolling her eyes as Fitz mumbled about there being no such thing as magic. "What was that thing.. or man… or whatever he was?"

Thin shoulders pulled in a shrug. "I don't know yet, but the good news is that he's all that came through." He glanced back at Coulson. "Better than an army."

"Our communications with the outside world are still down," Skye said from where she was pointing back at the computers. "Whatever that energy surge did, it fried the communications until we get down."

"We're lucky it didn't fry everything and take us entirely down," May murmured.

"Not all plans flesh out perfectly," Loki grumbled. "The door is closed and the being contained. I'd say that counts as a win."

"Yeah, except he's not still in there," Skye deadpanned and moved so that the others could see the camera shots of the empty room.

"Could he have gone back through that door?" Coulson asked, eyes studying the picture and knowing the answer before Loki even shook his head. The room was neatly intact and the door still appeared to be closed and locked, the lights above it showing red to prove that it had not been unlocked.

"It was closed," Loki murmured, green eyes narrowed in thought.

"Could he have done what you did?"

The immortal rolled his eyes. "In the end all teleportation or shifting spells come from the ability to walk through the branches of Yggdrasil. That is not a talent easily achieved and certainly not-"

"Looks like he did exactly what you did," Fitz murmured and pointed at the image on the screen. "Watch. Here are all of you. The camera clearly caught you… dissapearing."

"And there's our visitor," Simmons chimed in and the SHIELD agents and visiting Asgardian watched as the blond tilted his head at the place that they had been and then simply vanished from sight.

"My word," Loki breathed. "He's an Echo."

"A what?"

He turned to Coulson, his expression doing nothing to assure the lead agent. "An Echo. They're… creatures of immense power that can echo other creatures. That is their gift. They have no magic of their own, per say, or technologies, they simply copy others and can do so with great precision and accuracy."

Ward frowned. "So you're saying that this guy can now do exactly what you did."

"I believe so."

"What do you mean you believe so?" Coulson demanded.

"They're legends, even to us. I've never laid eyes on an Echo and most believe them to be simply myth. Legends are often exaggerated from their partial truth beginnings, and the fact that he just followed me in that way shows that at least that is true."

A slow clapping noise filled the lab and all eyes turned to the creature in question who stood with a broad smile plastered across his features. "Well done, Loki. It's good to see that your clever mind is not too overstated throughout the Nine and beyond. That is quite a fancy trick. You must tell me where you learned it… Though the doubles I'd say are courtesy of the Allfather before he realized what a mistake he made by bringing you to his lands, isn't that so?" The smile stretched. "Yes, _that_ part of the legend is true as well. With the talents we receive by watching, we also receive bits of information along with them. Pertinent information, usually, but at times it just comes across as a memory strongly attached to the learning process. Tell me, when did you become so damned sentimental? I'd heard you'd cut everyone off that would hold you back."

"And where are you receiving your information from?" Loki asked, fingers twitching slightly as a newly repaired staff grew in his hand, ready for the next onslaught at any time.

"My name is Keir. Surely Thanos spoke of me in your time with him."

The Asgardian stiffened and he risked only the briefest glance back at his companions to see that Ward and May had both crept to either side, slowly but surely. He'd heard the name in his time on that forsaken floating chunk of rock. It had been associated with the man responsible for the design of the scepter he'd carried, but he'd never known that man to be an Echo. Only ruthless and efficient, and often with ulterior goals that differed from what he first appeared to be after. "I've heard of you, but tell me, what could possibly have brought you to _Midgard_ of all places? Surely your talents are better suited on other worlds."

Keir chuckled and tightened his grip on his spear. "I take it there's no convincing you to my side, is there?"

"You're always welcome to try," the trickster answered easily.

The Echo faded from sight as the gunshot went off, laughing openly as he appeared right in front of May, the agent ducking under his blow and swiping out at his ankles. He lept up, avoiding the blow and was caught by a second one to his gut that didn't move him. "A valiant effort," he cheered and threw her back against the wall. An blast from his spear sent the rushing Ward in the opposite direction and he turned pale eyes to the five remaining, Coulson and Loki the only two really looking ready to fight.

Keir sighed. "I came here for one thing and one thing only. I'll give you lot the chance to live if you hand it over."

"Not going to happen," Coulson said flatly.

"You don't even know what I want yet."

"Something tells me that if you want it, it's something we're not willing to give."

"Fair point. I suppose at least you'll know you died trying to save something of an unknown value, though if even the bolts that hold this machine together are worth your very lives, then by all means, let's be done with it."

"I can't speak for them, but my curiosity has been peaked." Blue eyes turned back to Loki who offered a smile in return, though never lowered his weapon. "Tell me, Echo, what could Midgard hold that is so very important."

"A key to getting to what is truly important, though I suspect you already know that."

The trickster's smile broadened. "Agent Coulson, you would not be remiss to send those that are not ready to face battle away."

Keir's eyes narrowed. "You think they'll escape me?"

"I don't think you'll kill the one you're after."

"Doesn't mean that I won't kill the rest."

Loki sighed heavily. "I know. And I suppose that's where I am forced to step in."

"Skye, get them out of here," Coulson ordered, not bothering to turn to see the hacker take hold of either of the scientists and make a break for the door.

The Echo tried to follow them, shifting through the room so quickly that he might have teleported, but the Asgardian prince was just as quick, slamming fully into him and they both went skidding across the smooth floor, landing only a couple feet away from one another.

"You two go with them. Get control of this plane."

"Sir, we're not leaving you here."

"This isn't a suggestion, Agent May. You and Ward keep those three safe. I don't know which one he's after or why, but he can't take them, do you hear?"

Ward and May exchanged uneasy looks. "Yes sir."

The elder agent offered a strained smile, clicking in a code and pulling a rather formidable looking gun from a hidden compartment. "We'll hold them off here," he said, urging them to go. They nodded together and were gone, leaving Coulson to question his own actions more than he should have in one day's time.

Loki and Keir were exchanging blows, evenly matched. They shifted in and out, both appearing and disappearing faster than Coulson could follow, and the spear let off a sound to prove that it was powered by the Tesseract as it flooded the room with energy that slammed him back against the far wall.

The dark haired prince had just shifted back into focus when Keir released the attack sending him sprawling. He saw the hit take down Coulson as well and he pulled himself to his knees. "You're not done with me yet," he growled irritably, finally making it to his feet.

"You should stay on the ground, Laufeyson. That is where you are meant to remain," he said as he stalked closer to Phil's barely conscious form leaned against the wall. "A prince of two worlds and a ruler of none. The Allfather surely knew what he was doing when he took his greatest enemy's child into his own care. Death would have been kinder, but instead he forced you to live on your knees for all of your days. You might have broken free of it. The Tesseract gave you the knowledge to do so, but you hadn't the will to see it through. Now look at you." He swung the spear around, proving that he knew exactly where the Asgardian prince was.

Loki had meant to attack from behind while the Echo had been grandstanding, but Keir had known that. He'd seen that before it had ever happened. The god of mischief hadn't felt so exposed since the Tesseract incident, and as he felt the spear make contact, ripping through protective leathers and shattering ribs as if they were nothing, he realized that this creature was something of a living Tesseract, and that they were in far over their heads this time.

* * *

TBC


	6. Part Six

A/N: Anyone doing NaNoWiMo this year? I'm giving it a try for the first time and I want to make sure to encourage any of my fellow writers from ff dot net that might be doing it as well. Let me know if you are!

* * *

**Part Six. **

Keir's lips stretched into a wide smile as he stood with his head slightly tilted to the side, studying Loki's features. Green eyes met his blue and when he didn't find what he wanted he gave the spear in his hand a sharp tug downward, sending the prince to his knees. "Much better," he murmured thoughtfully as the injured Asgardian gave a gasping choke. "It's a shame. I really thought they'd call your brother in. In fact, it seems as if they thought they were calling your brother. You should have let Thor handle his precious Midgard."

"Thor has other responsibilities," Loki ground out between clenched teeth. His eyes flittered behind Keir to where Coulson was picking himself up slowly.

"Yes, I did hear that the Allfather has taken a journey. Left his elder son behind to rule?"

The Echo gave another small tug against the spear and the prince's vision pulsed dangerously and a coppery taste filled his mouth. He choked it back and did his best to glare. "Even...even if you had a chance of defeating Thor - and you do not - you'd never make it to Asgard. Your door is closed and you may have pulled a shifting spell from me, but to move through the branches between dimensions is something else entirely." He tried to draw in a deeper breath, finding himself choking against the blood. He was buying time, he hoped, for Coulson to get to his feet and take a shot with whatever new toy SHIELD had supplied him with.

"I don't need to slip through the branches when all I need is the Midgardian that has studied the Tesseract. As a bonus, I'd say your spell will drop as so as you lose consciousness. Should I expect your brother to come to your rescue before of after I have my prize?"

"Won't let you-"

"You won't let me what? Keir sneered.

Loki's lips stretched into a thin smile. "Not me," he managed, green eyes flickering back to Phil who was aiming the gun. "Him."

The Echo growled a curse in a language neither had ever heard and ripped his weapon from the trickster, allowing him to fully crumble to the ground even as the blast took him off his feet. He stumbled back up only to be hit by a second and then he was gone, leaving no sign other than the injuries dealt that he'd been there at all.

Loki blinked against the darkness that was edging in on his vision and he winced against the pain. Coulson knelt into his view and he felt his hand patting his face, he supposed to bring his focus around.

"You with me?" the agent asked and Loki felt him put pressure against the wound, his broken ribs shifting under it.

"Yes," he managed, not sure that he believed it. Slowly and very unsteady, he shifted and pulled himself up so that he was propped on his elbows. Coulson looked ready to protest and the injured god offered a pained smile. "Not quite as frail as you." He focused on getting to his knees next. They'd have no time to waste if they were going to help the SHIELD team.

"What spell?"

"Hmm?"

"The... Echo said a spell would drop if you lost consciousness. What spell?"

Loki was finally to his feet now, swaying dangerously with one hand pressed against the deep wound. His magic was working to close it, but it could only do so much so fast.

Coulson reached a hand out, steadying him. "Listen, I want to trust you right now. Truth be told, I _need_ to be able to trust you right now. That's my team and I need to make sure they get out of this alive. I'm willing to do whatever that takes." He paused, as if weighing his words, or perhaps just waiting until a bit more focus returned to those green eyes.

"I understand the weight of the situation, Agent Coulson."

"Then be straight with me. I can't afford to be second guessing if you're about to stab me in the back...again."

This pulled a strained smile from the trickster. "Your team is the means to an end." He paused, thinking, and then looked the human directly in the eye. "I cut off communication with Asgard upon my arrival."

"What the hell for?" Coulson snapped.

"Because he's going to try to use one of your people to open up a more difficult door. One to Asgard. He wants the Tesseract there. If Thor had seen this trouble, he wouldn't have given it a second thought.."

"He'd have left your home vulnerable."

"Not intentionally, but yes."

"That's the spell? That's all there is to it?"

"Yes."

Coulson's lips twitched upward at the edges. "Was that so hard?"

"Very," the mischief god chuckled.

"Okay. Now which one of my team is he after?"

* * *

"You can't shoot them."

Grant Ward glanced to his side where Skye had come to stand, mimicking his stance with her arms crossed over her chest and leaning against the cabinets. She was referring to the two scientists who had begun bickering over the possibility of using a particularly untested piece of equipment that would either wipe this Echo out or would literally blow up in all of their faces. It was as if they had forgotten that they were, technically, on the run within a fairly confined area and the shouting and fussing match was almost comical.

"Can't or shouldn't?" Ward huffed.

"Both," May said as she joined them. "Coulson should have been back by now."

"You think Loki betrayed him?" the younger agent asked.

"Could have. I doubt he'd stick around and risk his life for him, if things got bad. The fact that we have no way to check on them is-"

"I have a way," Skye cut in, holding up her phone. She grinned widely as she typed in a couple of codes and brought up the room they'd all been in less than twenty minutes before. The two agents and hacker stared at the screen. The room was empty, but blood was splashed out. "That's… a lot of blood. Can someone live and lose that much?"

"No," Ward growled. "Little bastard probably took off. Okay, Fitz-Simmons, that thing may be our final option."

"But it's not-"

"It _will_ work!"

"But it may not! It's not _tested_!"

"I've tested it!"

"When?!"

Fitz went suddenly silent, a nervous, soundless laugh causing him to shake a bit.

Any further argument was silenced as the door slid open and Ward and May aimed their guns. Keir filled the doorway, looking very smug with his spear in his hands. "This ends now," he said as he stepped forward. The bullets ricocheted off of an invisible shield and the two agents were thrown roughly to the side.

Skye stood her ground, eyes wide in fear, but not willing to move. "Listen, you… Whatever you are. I may not look like it, but I've got some pretty badass ninja skills that you just don't want to see. So this is your chance to walk away before you get hurt-" She let out a startled cry as he took hold of her hair dragging her closer until he was nose to nose with her.

"Quaint," he breathed, feeling no real threat and tossed her aside and continued towards the two scientists.

"We're not field agents… Any information that you want, we probably don't even know," Fitz stammered.

"That's where you're wrong, lad," Keir murmured and reached the spear forward. Simmons screamed his name but the tip stopped just before it reached him, hovering over his heart. She was so close that she could see bits of blood still worked into the crevices of the weapon and she watched in horror as the jewel at the end glowed and his eyes glassed over black before turning an eerie shade of blue. "You're exactly what I need."

"Fitz?" Jemma whispered and received no reaction. She turned on the Echo. "Leave him alone! You can't have him!"

"I'd like to see you stop me, little one," he sneered and they were gone in a whirl of magic.

Simmons stood staring at the place where her partner had been standing moments before, eyes wide and fixated. They finally broke away when the door opened again and Coulson came limping in, followed by what looked like a barely-conscious god of mischief. "He took Fitz," she managed. "Agent Coulson, he took Fitz!"

"I know," Coulson answered grimly. "Everyone here okay?"

"Mostly pissed, sir," May growled out. "He's throwing us around like dolls."

"He's reading your moves before you can make them," Loki said, his voice strained even as he leaned against a wall, breaths shallow and fingers wrapped in the torn material at his side. "It's about to get worse. Much worse."

"That's encouraging," Skye grumbled from where Ward was helping her to her feet. "So is he gone?"

"Looks like we have controls back."

"Good. May, get us to the nearest SHIELD landing point. We're going to-"

"Can you program this machine to land on its own?"

"Yes, why?"

"Then do it."

"What are you thinking?"

Green eyes shifted towards Phil and the Asgardian managed a sigh. "I've reached my limit here and Keir has your scientist. It's only a matter of time before he pulls open another door, this time to Asgard."

"Sir?" May called from a panel.

"Do it." When she gave him the nod that it was done he turned back to Loki. "So what now?"

"Now your team sees the Realm Eternal," Loki breathed, eyes slipping closed as the Bifrost pulled them from the plane.

* * *

TBC


	7. Part Seven

A/N: I know I mentioned it before, but I'd like to really encourage the writers on here to check out NaNoWiMo this year. I'm getting really excited about it and it's a great way to sharpen your writing skills. For those that don't know, it's a writing challenge for the entire month of November to write 50K words in 30 days. Fanfiction is allowed, so you should definitely check it out. Just go to NaNoWiMo dot com to sign up. It's free and such, unless you count the insanity of writing 50K words in a month's time lol. Gabrielle Day and I are both doing it this year, so if you do it let me know and I'll be sure to friend you on the site so we can cheer each other on. I plan to put up small excerpts from my book, so if anyone's interested in reading some of my original work, that's where you'll find it in November. It's going to be awesome! Come join!

* * *

**Part Seven.**

Thor was not happy. He had not even known his brother was missing until an hour before and when he approached the Gatekeeper on his brother's whereabouts, Heimdall had said that all seemed well. So when he nearly fell to his knees at the onslaught of images that hit him like waters bursting through a breaking dam, the thunderer thought it was fairly obvious that Loki was up to something.

The Bifrost leapt to life and Thor stood with the Gatekeeper with an irritable scowl plastered across his features. Loki always had a good reason for the things that he did - in his own mind they were good reasons - but often forgot to include the elder prince in it. They'd talked about it, this habit of making decisions for one another, and they'd sworn more than once not to allow it to happen again. As the SHIELD agents and the mischief god came into focus within the spinning platform, Thor felt certain that Loki knew much more about the situation than he'd been willing to share with those around him.

Coulson caught the stumbling Jemma Simmons as she stared wide-eyed at the platform, the two Asgardians, and the rainbow bridge that led to the city beyond. "What are we doing here?" she managed.

"Son of Coul," Thor greeted, "it would appear that your troubles have grown."

"Yeah, they have a habit of doing that," the agent grumbled. "Guess you got your brother's message."

"Such as it was. Are any of you injured?"

"A little banged up. Loki took the brunt of it."

"Surprisingly," Ward muttered under his breath, but the flicker of clear blue eyes in his direction showed that the thunderer had heard him.

Thor moved to his brother's still form, kneeling next to him and gently checking. "Why must you always go at things in this manner?"

"Because I learned to be stubborn watching my big brother?" the younger prince managed, green eyes slipping tiredly open and a small smile stretching the corners of his mouth.

"Be serious for a moment. You've lost a lot of blood, but-"

"My magic has been mending it. The fact that I didn't have to pull them through helped."

"You blocked Heimdall's sight."

"I did, and for good reason, I assure you. One that I will give you full account of at a later time if you must have it. For now, one of Agent Coulson's has been taken by an Echo."

Thor's eyes widened slightly. "They exist?"

"Apparently." Loki winced as his elder brother reach an arm around the back of his shoulders to ease him up. "I fear he's after the Tesseract. He thinks that the SHIELD scientist will be able to help him open the door to come through to Asgard."

"To bypass Father's wards? Not likely."

"Fitz studied the Tesseract as part of his studies for engineering," Simmons piped up. "At the time we thought it was going to be the future of energy, so he jumped at the possibility."

Thor turned his gaze on the still shaken biochemist. "Do you believe your friend can help this Echo open the door between worlds?"

"I don't know. He did something to him… You're Thor, right? The Norse god of thunder and all of that? Are you going to help us get Fitz back?"

The blond offered her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "I will do everything within my power to return your friend to you, but first my brother needs a healer and I need more information on what is happening."

* * *

He should be afraid. Part of him _knew_ that he should be afraid. They'd been attacked, hadn't they? On their own plane. The Bus was supposed to be a safe haven, one where non-combat-cleared scientists could live and not feel the looming danger that would have come with that special clearance. They had been attacked and he'd been taken.

He knew he should be afraid, but every time he tried to muster up the will to do so it failed him. There was a strange sort of peace in its place and a small voice whispering that everything was how it should be. They had not been attacked. No, that had been a rescue. A rescue from lies and half-truths. There was only one truth and that came from the Tesseract. He knew that now, really he did, but something about the way Simmons had screamed her protests just before Keir had taken him away stuck with him and he couldn't help but to cling to it like a drowning man would cling to a liferaft.

But he wasn't drowning.

He was safe.

He was at peace.

"And the others will be soon as well," Keir said from behind. "We will show them, Leo. We will show them all that the Tesseract can give. You'd like them to be free of their lies, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," he found himself saying quietly.

"That's a boy. What have you got for me?"

Fitz looked at the scattered pieces of technology in front of him. There were things that he had never seen before. Many, in fact. They were alien technologies from all around the galaxy and beyond, he'd wager. Other dimensions, other worlds, and the Tesseract had given him insight on what each did, letting his natural skills lead his hands without stumbling over the learning process. "We're missing a few key components," he said and rattled off names of things he'd never heard of before.

He knew he should be afraid.

"You'll have them," Keir promised and turned. He paused, a smile tilting the corners of his lips upward. "You have questions."

"I don't understand why you can't just follow through as Loki did. You pulled us to another place."

"And I am paying the price for it now," the Echo answered, his blue eyes holding nothing but exhaustion.

"And you could have simply learned my abilities for this. Why show me the Tesseract's truth?"

"You are special, Leo Fitz. Intelligent and clever. There are things that simply cannot be echoed."

Fitz stood, catching the Echo's eyes and holding his gaze in a steady fashion that was so foreign to his personality. "And you take on many attributes of those you echo, do you not? Makes sense you wouldn't want a simple human's mortality to override your own strength."

Keir blinked, shock flittering across his features before behind hidden well behind his smile. "The Tesseract has shown you much."

"More than you know." He took his seat again, fingers moving over the objects and fitting them together, wires looping in and around in a delicate sort of way. "Do you think he's taken them?"

"Yes, undoubtedly. We will need the door to be strong so that we can rescue them." He circled around to Fitz's back, laying a hand on either of his shoulders. "We _will_ rescue them, Leo. I promise you that."

* * *

Loki heard voices. That was the first thing that he noticed as he swam through the inky darkness of unconsciousness and tried to break through the surface to the waking world. He listened hard, trying to make out the sounds and the words. They blurred together and he knew after a few moments that they must have given him something for the pain. If experience was any sort of teacher, wounds dealt by Tesseract powered weapons were the most difficult to heal.

As the fog began to recede ever so slightly he could hear his brother speaking. Thor's voice could break through death with its booming sound. It was hushed now, as if he'd been recently reminded that he _was_ in the healing chambers and people _were_ trying to rest. After a moment more of focus Loki decided that the second voice belonged to Agent Coulson.

"He could be anywhere in the Nine Realms and beyond, I fear," Thor was saying in a strained voice. "If he was capable of echoing my brother's ability to travel between worlds…"

"Loki said he wouldn't be able to."

"He wouldn't be able to get to _Asgard_ in that manner." The rasping voice drew the attention of both mortal and immortal and Thor's eyes lit at the sight of his younger brother awake. The expression crumbled just as quickly into worry when Loki began to pull himself up to sit. The trickster waved him off. "Thor, I'm _fine_."

"You're hardly fine," the elder prince grumbled, large hands on either of his brother's slim shoulders. "Master Rowen said that the wound will take some time to heal and -"

"What do you mean about him not getting to Asgard in that manner?" Coulson cut in. "Do you mean that he could have gone somewhere else. That he's not on Earth somewhere?"

"It's difficult to say," Loki answered softly. "We do know that his goal is Asgard in the end, and if he's used the Tesseract's deep and profound knowledge to enhance your scientist's skills, it may not be long until he reaches that goal." Green eyes flickered to Thor. "Most likely with an army of some kind backing his movement."

Phil pulled a deep breath in and forced it out through his nose in the form of a sigh. "He has one of mine."

The thunderer looked worn, as if they had had the same conversation several times since the agent's arrival. "We are well aware of that, Son of Coul, but as of now we are doing what we can. Heimdall is searching the Nine and beyond for your young friend and in a few days when my brother is rested-"

Loki cut off the foreseeable protest. "Thor is being absurd. A few days is an exaggeration." He shot his brother a glare to silence him. "My magic is doing well enough to keep the wound closed. You'll need me for this."

Thor opened his mouth to argue, but then snapped it shut again, shaking his head. "Your necessity was never questioned in this, brother."

Thin lips quirked. "Good. Now that that's settled, shouldn't we start to look about a plan?"

* * *

TBC


	8. Part Eight

A/N: Please excuse any typos (but please let me know so I can get them fixed!) Today was super busy but I wanted to get the update up for you.

* * *

**Part Eight.**

For all of his confidence, once Loki had managed to usher everyone out of his temporary room, he found his body unwilling to respond with the same enthusiasm. He knew he didn't have a great deal of time before his brother swooped back in, to "take care" of his little brother. Usually that ended with the younger prince in more pain than he'd begun in.

With a great deal of focus on the action, he swung long legs over the side of the bed and bare feet touched the cool marble below. He was dressed only in his trousers with the linen wrappings tightly wound around his ribs. The wound pulled as he moved and for a moment he thought he could hear his ribs shifting and he cringed. Slowly, and someone unsteadily, he leaned his weight forward and stood carefully, waiting just a moment to make sure that the floor wouldn't decide to shift without warning and send him tumbling.

The mischief god reached for a set of clothes - most likely left by one of the healers as his brother would not have left an encouragement to rise quite so quickly - and caught sight of himself in the length mirror against the wall. He looked like death warmed over and his skin was a pale, dull colour that darkened deeply around his eyes, leaving them to appear sunken in. He frowned, trying to straighten his stance as he took in his appearance and nimble fingers finally moved to the bandages. He undid the ends, giving them a careful pull to undo them. As the material fell away, leaving only a thin piece of linen pressed against the wound.

It wasn't nearly as healed as it should have been, he thought as he peeled the last layer away and saw that healing stones had had no effect on it, leaving Master Rowen to stitch it back together. Thin lips twitched irritably at the sight and his fingers traced the air just above it. There were lines in his skin, blue like the veins that had run through Keir's box that had ripped open the portal. They gave a soft glow and as Loki watched in the mirror, he felt the world shift dangerously and would have fallen if not for the firm grip against his shoulders.

"You aren't well," the thunderer murmured, voice holding power in the low rumble and no small amount of sadness. He had not yet forgiven Loki fully for slipping away without warning.

"Yes, well, time is not on our side at the present," the trickster managed. He saw Thor's blue eyes trace the strange markings in the mirror.

"What are those? Master Rowen made no mention of them."

"I doubt very much that they were there until I woke."

"What does it mean?"

Loki gave him a tired smile and absently reached a thin hand to the much larger one that still rested on his shoulder. "It means that Keir is an admirable foe, brother."

"Is he possessed by the Tesseract?"

"I don't know."

"But you think he's coming for it?"

"Most certainly. What did Master Rowen say of this?"

Blue eyes had turned to meet green as they spoke, but now flickered back down to the wound when his brother gestured. "That the healing would be slow and that you magic saved your life. You should be dead now, brother. Most would be. You took a hard blow and did not receive treatment for some time."

"Hmm."

The crown prince pulled in a deep breath, as if readying himself for his own words. "Why did you go?"

"That seems like a foolish question, even for you," Loki snapped, not missing the flash of hurt that crossed the thunderer's features. "You know that is part of our deal, that if they require something in which I-"

"They would not have called you for a Tesseract incident even if they had known it was such. Be straight with me, brother. You've had a goal in all of this."

"I suspected something deeper when Heimdall told me of what was happening. I hoped to head it off before it reached our world. I did not know that Echos even existed, much less that I would battle one."

"And when you discovered a foe that you could not hope to defeat, why did you not call me?"

"That is what this is about?" the younger prince nearly scoffed. "Your feelings are hurt because I set off to do something without you?"

"Don't be petty, Loki. You nearly _died_ because you set off without me."

Loki snorted. "And what better place would we have been in if he could echo the ability to wield Mjolnir?"

Thor hadn't thought of that, and his expression made that quite clear. "That's impossible."

"Is it? We don't know, nor is it a theory I'm willing to test and be wrong about." The second prince sighed, feeling the argument drain him. He didn't have the luxury of curling back up in the bed and sleeping until the wound mended itself. There was a battle ahead and one that they must win.

"I don't want to be cross with you, brother."

"Then don't be."

"It is not that simple. I must know that you've told me everything."

"All that I know," the lysmith swore, but then felt a rare pang of guilt as his brother nodded in acknowledgement of trust. "Thor, you should know," he murmured before he could talk himself out of it, "if it comes down to it, if we must choose one or the other…"

"What is it, Loki?"

The injured god pulled his shoulders back, even as it tugged painfully and straightened his stance. "I will sacrifice every one of them if it means saving our home from this."

To his surprise, Thor smiled, reaching forward and taking hold of the back of his neck in an affectionate gesture. "I know, Loki, but you would feel something from it. You've grown fond of them, so I know that it would be a desperate act indeed."

Loki stood in silence as Thor turned for the door, leaving him with his privacy to dress and the truth hanging heavy in the air.

* * *

"How're you doing?"

Simmons jumped, feeling the sudden rush to do… something. She wasn't sure what. She wasn't combat trained, in fact she was pretty sure she was only mildly less adverse to it than Fitz was, which wasn't saying much, but she found herself on edge now, ready to fight back at anything.

Because she hadn't when that creature had taken him. All she could do was scream.

"Simmons?" Sky called softly, her hand halfway to the other woman's shoulder when dark eyes suddenly filled with tears and they spilled over, trailing down her face and the biochemist looked as if she might have been coming out of - or perhaps just shifting through - some form of shock.

"He took him and I didn't do anything. I convinced him to come. I said I wanted to work in the field. What if he kills Fitz?"

"Uh…" Skye managed, eyes going wide. "It's okay," she tried, patting Simmons on the arm. "He's not going to kill Fitz. He needs him, right? He wouldn't kill him if he needs him. We'll get him back and he'll be just fine."

"But what if he just-"

"Hey. You've got to stop," Skye said, moving around so that she was looking the other woman directly in the eye. This sudden focus seemed to calm Jemma down,if only a bit. "Fitz will be fine. C'mon, we've got the god of thunder on our team now, along with the freakin' god of mischief. What could go wrong?"

"That last sentence… didn't help."

"You know, I could go get Ward to comfort you."

This actually pulled a small giggle from the scientist and without warning she flung her arms around Skye. "Thank you," she whispered, pulling back to wipe the tears. "It's good to know that even if we were crazy enough to go into the field that we have a team that cares for us enough to rescue us."

"Seriously, how long has it been since you two were apart?"

"A very long time."

Skye didn't have a chance to ask how long that might be as Coulson called them over. Thor was standing with him and Ward was listening to whatever they'd been talking about, nodding at all the right moments, May watching stoically. There were four others now and the hacker couldn't help but stare. One quick glance said she wasn't alone.

"Ah!" Thor cried when he saw them, his smile a bit too bright for the situation. "Lady Skye, Lady Simmons, please meet the Warriors Three and Lady Sif."

"My," the blond one breathed, not bothering to try to hide the fact that his jaw dropped a little. He was elbowed sharply by the larger redhead who he turned a fierce glare on. "Just because you are tethered down these days doesn't mean the rest of us can't appreciate the fine beauties that Midgard has to offer."

"We will have to go over that bit about terrible timing again, Fandral," Loki drawled as he entered the room. He glanced at the ladies that had been in question, somehow his charm seeming to override the utter exhaustion that was etched into his face. "Please excuse him, ladies. He hardly knows his manners."

"Did we just get hit on by a Norse god?" Skye managed.

"It happens a lot," Sif said almost by way of apology.

Thor turned to his brother, a silent conversation passing between them and ended with Loki giving a sharp nod and a look that dared the elder prince to question it.

"Did he say anything to you too?" Simmons asked May in a whisper.

The Asian woman's lips turned up in the barest of smirks and one glance at Fandral had whatever comments he might have been making silenced and he looked ready to hide behind one of his companions.

* * *

"It's done."

Keir perked, clear eyes moving around so that they met the unnatural blue of the engineer. "And ready?"

"If my calculations are correct… and they are. This door will take you, me, and your army to Asgard."

"Well done, Leo," the Echo said as he looked over the contraption. It might have been an archway, built for something out of a scifi movie that would allow for perhaps five to walk side-by-side through it.

"One last thing," Fitz said and he watched Keir freeze in place. "I want your word that Simmons will be okay."

A smile stretched. "Out of your whole team, you request one life?"

"I understand that they will fight the Tesseract's truth. They'll fight hard, and some may get hurt… Or even die, but she gets out alive."

"Very well, Leo. Jemma Simmon gets out alive. Now activate the machine. We're going to Asgard."

* * *

TBC


	9. Part Nine

A/N: So who has seen the pics floating around on Tumblr with Loki screaming? Damn you, Tom Hiddleston, for your fantastic skills that make us want to cry. Ugh.

* * *

**Part Nine.**

There was no question what was happening when it begun. Even the mortals in their party, unaccustomed to the powers of the Nine Realms, could feel the change in the air.

They had spent the last few hours tossing around ideas, hoping for something that could stop it all before it really had a chance to begin. Could Loki close this door as he had done behind Keir the first time? No. This one would be grand, a large arching structure that would allow multiple creatures to pass through at any given time. To close something of that magnitude…. It would certainly take more than what Loki had to give, he had admitted quietly.

So in the end they had amassed troops and gathered their closest friends. Thor made it more than clear that he wished for the mortals to take a place in the palace and leave the fighting to the Asgardians. Agent May seemed to agree with that with the exception of herself and Grant Ward.

"That's my guy out there," Phil argued in hushed tones with the woman that had once been known as the Cavalry.

"That's _our_ guy. We are a team, but if I may be blunt sir, you're not up for this. The last time you faced off against an Asgardian-"

Skye and Simmons listened a distance, the hacker mumbling something about Mom and Dad fighting again. Ward frowned and moved to speak to Thor. "What are our odds?"

The blond glanced over at him, interrupted in a conversation with his brother that seemed to mirror the two agents a few yards away. He turned back to the smaller prince and tried for a stern look. "This is not done," he vowed and Loki rolled his eyes.

"By all means, _my king_," the trickster growled out, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Thor sighed heavily as Ward approached closer. "I'm finding the odds less pressing than the question of if he's trustworthy or not."

"He is," the thunderer said without missing a beat. "Loki would not betray me."

"Are you serious? So, I've heard that he was the responsible party behind the huge robot in New Mexico, we _know_ he was behind the Battle of New York, and that doesn't even begin to cover what he's been up to since."

This brought a tired, yet almost fond smile to the prince's face with the last statement. "Loki has a… unique way of approaching things, one that I often disagree with, but…." He paused, blue eyes drifting to where his brother was speaking with Sif who would be leading the troops below. His thin hands danced as he spoke, explaining something of the Echo that few Asgardians had ever bothered to read up on. Thor sighed and returned his gaze back to the SHIELD agent. "But in these days, Loki's heart is in the right place, even if his actions do not always show it immediately. I have faith in my brother, just as you have faith in your team."

Ward risked a glance back at the team in question and frowned. "_Loads_ of trust in my team. Loads."

Thor reached out a hand, startling him when it came down on his shoulder. "You must begin with trusting those you keep closest to you. Everything else will follow after."

The snarky retort died in the back the young agent's throat and he found himself nodding. "Right."

The doors burst open and a runner dropped to his knee before the princes and their friends. "My lord," he addressed Thor, "they come."

"Then we shall meet them," the thunderer answered. "Sif?"

"Legendary creature or not, we take him down this day."

"We've got a few tricks of our own too," Coulson said, cutting off the still-protesting Agent May. "Let's get Fitz back."

* * *

They met them in the field just beyond the city and Thor couldn't help but remember the last battle they had fought in Asgard over the Tesseract in this same place. His eyes flickered instantly to his brother, and silently vowed to keep an eye on him. He would not let him pull any such attempted trickery as he had that day. "When Father comes home, we should speak to him on destroying it."

"The Tesseract?" the younger prince asked and his brother nodded.

"It has brought nothing but misery to our families and many others. It should not remain with Asgard."

"Perhaps."

"Do you not agree?"

Loki let an irritable sigh escape. "I'm _thinking_, Thor. Look at that thing. It's machine run and most certainly not Asgardian technology." Green eyes flickered towards the humans standing close. "Skye, if I could get you in close to it, could you get inside of its workings?"

"And disable it? You're going to let me hack alien tech? Seriously?"

"Don't fangirl too much," Ward deadpanned. "It's just the fate of someone else's world if you screw it up."

"Not just our world. All the Nine," Loki said seriously.

Skye shot her S.O. an angry look. "I can do it."

"Your magic is-"

"Strong enough to get us there and get us back," the second prince promised his elder brother. For a moment green eyes looked pleadingly into blue. "Trust me, Thor. I beg you."

"I do."

Thin lips spread into a wide smile. "Good. Then I trust that you and the others will keep the attentions off us while we work."

Thor nodded slowly, resigned. "We can do that for you."

"Good, then if you are ready, Lady Skye?" the mischief god said and offered her a hand.

"What, you afraid I'm going to wander off? Got to hold my hand?" she snarked as she went ahead and placed her hand in his.

Thin fingers closed tightly around hers. "No. Though the thought had occurred to me that you might let go."

And then she felt sick. Like the whole world had spun and she had stood on her little island of still and watched it. Around and around and around and around. And then for good measure the island tilted and stopped abruptly. All the while, though, even as her knees gave way under her, she felt a steady grip on her hand that anchored her to… something. She wasn't quite sure what.

Loki crinkled his nose in barely contained disgust as Skye sank to the ground, losing anything she might have left in her stomach from the day. He let go then, careful to avoid it, and turned to take a closer look at their surroundings. They'd landed a few yards away from where one end of the portal had ripped a hole in the fabric of space, allowing them to burst through the branches of the World Tree. The army was flooding in some distance and the trickster seemed very pleased with himself that he'd put them into just the right spot to get her to where they needed to be. He glanced back at the mortal woman who still looked like she was trying to decide if she was done or not. "At your leisure," he drawled.

"You coulda… warned a girl, y'know," Skye managed. Slowly she made it to her feet, still looking as if she'd tasted something less than pleasant. "They're a ways off, but they'll see us if we just run on over there and start messing with the wires, and it's not like I get cell service here. I'm going to have to wire up to it."

"I'll have us covered with a cloaking spell," the prince assured her. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

They moved and no one saw them. She thought she must be losing her mind to simply follow, but he walked towards the towering arch with such confidence that she couldn't bring herself to question him. Once they were within reaching distance of the arch, Loki pulled a knife from the leathers he wore - somehow mended and no longer soaked in his blood from the injury dealt to him on the Bus - and worked open a panel. He stepped back when it was done, giving Skye her space and she didn't bother to ask him how he knew what to open.

"This is… intense," she breathed, crouched down to look closely at it.

"Can you do it? You said you could do it."

"Yeah, chill."

Loki bristled at the comment but she ignored it, fully immersed in untangling wires and hooking one into her phone. "This is complicated, like Fitz knew I'd try this."

"He may have, or Keir may have known. Either way, work quickly."

"Listen, pressuring someone never works. Just a little life lesson for you." She continued to punch in codes, working and winding her way through the system. "It's weird… Maybe it's not technology I know about, but it's like it's connected to some unending power source. I mean… Seriously, what could possibly be powering this thing?" She paused when she received no answer and looked up. Her immortal companion was deathly pale and he seemed fixated on something in the distance.

"Like a Tesseract," he murmured hoarsely just as she stood and had reached out to grab his attention. He turned and Skye was sure that her expression had been one of surprise when she caught sight of the dark blood that trickled from his nose. He offered her a smile and wiped it away, looking at the bit of red on his pale fingers only briefly. "It would seem I've overexerted myself."

"Well lets get back and tell Coulson and Thor what we found. We're not going back empty handed."

"No, we're not. I'd like you to stay here, if you would. You'll need to be ready to reverse the door when the power source is cut."

"What do you mean? What are you going to be doing?"

"Doing the cutting."

"Woh. In case you didn't notice, you look like you're about ready to pass out. Maybe your brother-"

"I don't want Thor anywhere near this. If Keir were to get his hands on Mjolnir, then we've lost everything."

"Yeah, but can you beat him like this?"

Loki flashed a wide, charming smile. "Don't worry yourself about me. I do have a plan. Asgard most certainly will not fall this day."

* * *

TBC

A/N: I came across a news article today about a young girl that lives in my metroplex that broke my heart. She's apparently special needs (brain trauma at birth), but you can just tell, even without the accounts from people that know her, that she's super sweet. The story, in short, was about either another kid or group of kids in her high school have been sending her anonymous text messages that threaten her life, call her terrible names, and bully her in every terrible way imaginable. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I just can't wrap my mind around how terrible some people can be.

Got to love how strong she's been through it all though. If you get a chance, look up the article. Her name is Shea and she's from Plano, Texas. You're bound to find the story just by googling it.


	10. Part Ten

A/N: Happy belated birthday to GreenLoki!

* * *

**Part Ten.**

"You look like hell," she said as she swung around, a spear that had been aimed for her head just barely missing. She shifted to the left, then to the right, and finally took her attacker's head off with on swing. This gave her time to turn to look at the man she'd been speaking to.

"I'll hold, but I do need your help in it," Loki answered with his hands raised in a fashion that spoke of his suspicion that he might be Sif's next target.

Another one of Keir's soldiers came at her and she downed him within two strikes, frowning at the length of time. "Do you really think that _he_ could be powering it?"

The dark haired prince tilted his head, as if weighing the idea of speaking his mind on the subject. A sword came at him and found only a double, the trickster now standing just a few feet away as if nothing had happened. "I think he's… pulling from the Tesseract maybe? Perhaps through something else? He'd most likely need to shift the power through a subject so that he wouldn't be killed in the process. I'd think the boy, but a human could hardly stand it."

"But killing him should do the trick?" the goddess of war pressed.

"It should. No matter who or what he is using to keep the door open, if he's dead it should immediately cut it off."

"So I'm the distraction?"

"Unless you're suddenly feeling at ease with taking someone from behind."

"I'm no coward," she snapped, swinging the sword in her hand in an arc and taking off a head and landing the blade in the next attacker. She glanced back to see green eyes looking sharply at her.

"Nor am I," Loki said firmly, "but a win is a win, no matter how it comes. If you're suddenly taking on Thor's childhood charm of arrogantly thinking that everything can be handled with a straightforward blow…"

"I see your point. Very well."

Loki flashed a smile. "I am in your debt, m'lady."

"Very much so, because I heard you tell your brother that you were taking the human over to the opening and bringing her back, nothing more."

"I promised no such thing."

Sif frowned, both knowing very well what Thor would have heard. "Give me a moment to set my soldiers straight," she murmured and stepped away, finding a captain to speak with.

Green eyes watched and when he was satisfied that she would situate everything appropriately they turned back to the battle. Keir had brought in troops that looked to be from all the Nine Realms and beyond. Many rushed forward with an unnatural glow to their blue eyes. It was a strange thought that some were potentially Midgardians that had simply just disappeared from their day to day lives, perhaps to be killed for their new puppeteer. No one back home would be the wiser.

"Are you sure you're sure you can do this?"

"I have to. He's already echoed my skills. I can't allow Thor to get close to him."

Sif nodded as if the thought had already crossed her mind. She gripped her sword and gave him a pointed look. "Just don't get yourself killed. I will not be the one to explain to our sitting king that his brother has met his demise."

Loki offered her a broad grin. "Admit it, Lady Sif. You would miss me if I were gone."

"You forget that for a year you were gone as far as we knew."

"And you missed me."

"Well, it was much quieter."

* * *

"Are these people all under some form of hypnosis?" Ward called over the roar of the battle. He turned sharply and planted an elbow into a would-be attacker's nose.

"It certainly appears that way," Thor answered as he swung his hammer around, taking out multiple opponents.

"You think your brother got Skye over there? I haven't seen any change."

"They do seem to be endless." The blond stopped, not at all bothered by the attacks he could easily side step. They were a distraction, dispensable to Keir who had something else in mind. The Tesseract, but to what end? It was more than just a power source to the Echo, he knew that much, but he couldn't seem to work out exactly what it was to him.

"They should have been back by now," Coulson called over the fray. "Or at least something."

"You want me to go after them?" Ward yelled back, dodging what he was sure was another human wielding a sword. Electric blue eyes looked wildly at him, but closed when the bullet sunk deep between his eyes and the agent frowned, pushing back the creeping emotions. Now was not the time.

Coulson looked to be weighing his options, hazel eyes squinting into the distance where the door stood broad and open. "Go," he said at last. "And Ward? I want both of you back alive, you got it? That's an order."

The younger man nodded and started out, an Asgardian soldier stopping him some five steps forward and offering him the reins of a beautiful horse. He frowned only momentarily, muttered something unintelligible, and swung up onto the saddle to start for Skye.

"Quite a team you have," Thor murmured and he didn't miss the brief look of utter pride that flashed across the mortal's face.

"Yeah. There's something special in them. They know it when it counts."

"M'lord!"

Both immortal prince and SHIELD agent turned to see a runner, out of breath and covered in blood, though it didn't look like his own. He took a couple of deep breaths. "M'lord, the Lady Sif sent me."

"What is it?"

"They hold steady on the southeast corner, but your brother-"

"What of Loki?"

"The Lady said he is unwell and he has it in mind to face the Echo himself."

Coulson watched as the Asgardian prince's expression shifted from worry to anger and then finally evened out. "Thank you," he said at last and the man was gone. Thor ran a hand through his hair, obviously trying to suppress an outburst. "Every time," he growled out at last and turned to the agent. "I must go to my brother."

"We'll hold things down here," Phil promised. "And Thor? Make sure my people are safe?"

"Of course."

* * *

It was like setting up glass pieces on a on a very rickety chessboard that might topple at any moment. Skye was in place to transfer the power in the opposite direction when the power source was cut. The Warriors Three had been littered throughout the battlefield, assuring that the brunt of the force was well away, far enough to create an opening for he and Sif to come through. And Thor… Thor was as far away from this place as he could get him at this point. He would have prefered opening up a portal and shoving it through, dealing with the anger and the retrieval process later, but that would have drained his already limited magical resources even more than they already had been.

Loki felt a knee give out under his own weight and he just barely caught himself, hand going immediately to stitches that pulled in his side.

Sif reached out to steady him, her dark eyes holding more worry than she would have preferred to show. "How far have you thought this plan of yours through?"

"To the point that it keeps my brother out of harms way and rids Asgard of this nuisance," the second prince rasped. "Thor would rush in here, hammer swinging and the Norns only know if Keir could echo that or not." He paused, gathering himself. "Are you still with me on this?"

"I am."

"Then let's do it and be done."

He watched her as she started forward, all confidence and power held out for the world to see. She had to, as the words often thought less of the lady warrior than her male counterparts. She proved them wrong though. Every time.

It didn't take Sif long to fight through the guards around Keir, the Echo watching her every move with sharp curiosity and the tilt of his head. He seemed intrigued, but most likely he was simply soaking up every step that she took, every swing of her blade, and every ounce of strength that he could find within her, so that when she reached him - and he had to have known that she would - he could meet her face-to-face.

When her sword clashed with his spear, Loki sprinted forward, a desperate push from his magic cloaking the pains from his injury and silencing his steps. His boots made no sound against the grassy hill as he circled around back, holding to the sight of Sif meeting his blows, even if it was with greater effort than he seem to be using.

The goddess of war let out a frustrated yell and pushed hard, actually sending the Echo stepping back. A smirk perked her lips and she took a swing, only to be caught by a sudden burst magic that hadn't used on her yet. "I think we're done playing," he said and swung around, spear clanking loudly against Loki's own staff. The trickster's green eyes went wide, as he'd been sure that he'd approached with the utmost stealth.

"You think I didn't sense you, Laufeyson? I could feel your presence since I stepped foot on this world." His next blow threw the staff from Loki's hands and the next took the prince to the ground, his name on Sif's lips a few yards away, but she stopped when Keir reached a hand out, palm outward, and placed a foot on the injured Asgardian's chest, pressing down to keep him against the dirt. "Step away, Lady Sif, or I'll put another hole in him." A smile stretched as his order was heeded and he leaned closer in, Loki not able to keep the pained sound from escaping as his ribs shifted dangerously.

Keir reached a hand down, fingers reaching wide and a soft, faint glow extended from them. The prince felt his eyelids grow heavy and he struggled against it.

"Don't bother, though I am sorry that you hadn't quite got it yet. It seems you figured out that I can't pull a power as great as the Tesseract directly. Have you figured out who I'm using yet?"

A short cry bubbled in his throat and Loki's entire body gave a violent jolt, even pinned as he was.

"Nothing? Not even a guess?" Keir asked in almost a teasing manner. "I'll give you a hint. My… potential admiration for your cleverness is not all that has saved you from meeting your end here. It would have been easier, in some ways, but I needed a creature with the aptitude for channeling great amounts of energy. As the Allfather is not here, well… Though you may not be of his blood, you do hold many of his talents, do you not? Perhaps he didn't leave you entirely without inheritance after all." He paused, head tilted again in his way. "I have another wave of soldiers, Laufeyson, and I need you to keep that door open for me. You really don't have a choice in the matter, but I thought it was polite to at least make a play at asking. After all, it will most likely kill you."

Loki felt like he was being ripped apart, mind body and soul. He heard a scream that he thought was his own, and then suddenly it stopped and for half a moment he thought he might be dead. Gasping painfully he opened an eye to see the Echo's interest peaked elsewhere, and he looked to be straightening just as something collided fully with him and took him off his feet and drove him into the ground a distance away.

The object came whizzing back by and Loki heard his brother call to him.

* * *

TBC


	11. Part Eleven

A/N: I kind of feel like I'm juggling groups of characters right now, making sure that I don't forget anyone. Gabrielle Day and I were working on an original piece once where we kept forgetting the dog. He'd be along, happy and friendly, and then we'd just forget him. It happens when there are a lot of characters, furry or otherwise. I think I have everyone mostly accounted for right now though.

* * *

**Part Eleven.**

No one had noticed when she slipped away. It wasn't that they didn't care, it was that they were fighting for their lives. She was supposed to be inside, afterall, so no one could have dreamt that Jemma Summons had slipped out into the fray of battle and towards the door that stood towering in the distance.

She could see it, just up ahead, and she tried to keep her focus there and not on the carnage around her. Funny, because she could dissect most anything without a quiver of discomfort, but here everything was so _real_.

Dark eyes blinked against the dust being kicked up all around and she couldn't help but let out a small sound of alarm when an arrow flew inches from her face, embedding itself in a tee just behind her. The man that had shot it had wild blue eyes and readied a second that nearly hit her as she dove to one side, finding herself in a ditch.

Simmons pressed up against the dirt. She would ask Ward to teach her some self defense as soon as they got home. Just a litte something so that next time she and Fitz were thrown into the field - preferably a figurative field and not one that strange beings were doing battle in like this one- she could do something.

That was, if she survived this trip first.

There was a loud pounding sound overhead, some yelling, and then a thud. She waited, sure that she would find an arrow pointed at her if she looked up.

"You're one of the Midgardian girls," a voice greeted her and she dared to look up. The dashing, flirt-of-a-blond offered his gloved hand to pull her from her hole.

Simmons looked as if she might not take it at first, but he smiled at her and she felt herself being hauled up even before she knew she'd taken his hand.

"Jemma, isn't it?"

"Yes."

The blond smiled and raised her dirt covered knuckles to his lips. "Fandral, if you remember our brief introduction. If you don't mind me asking, m'lady, what brings you out into this?"

"I've got to find Fitz," Simmons managed. "He's out there all alone and with terrible people and-"

"And quite under the Tesseract's spell," Fandral pointed out. "What is your plan once you reach him?"

"I-"

"One moment, love?" he asked and swung around, rapier skewering his would-be opponent. Once he'd finished him he turned back to the horrified mortal. "You were saying?"

"I... Fitz. I'm going to rescue Fitz. I don't... I don't know how, but I just let that man take him. I can't leave him alone. I'm his partner. We take care of each other. That's the promise we made."

"And you thought you could do this alone?" He smiled at the way she mumbled under her breath. "Worry not, lovely lady," Fandral said happily. "I would be no gentleman at all if I did not offer to escort you."

Simmons looked between the Asgardian warrior that had once been worshipped by the Vikings as a god and beyond to the many enemies between them and the door that Fitz was sure to be near. "Okay," she breathed.

* * *

Thor. Thor was there. Loki pushed back the sudden feeling of relief that his beother's presence had brought with it. Foolish, good-intentioned, _stupid_ Thor.

"Brother, can you rise?" the thunderer called out, eyes never leaving Keir who was now picking himself up very slowly.

"Idiot," the younger prince rasped as he rolled to his side.

"Stay down," Keir's voice reached his ears and he felt as if an invisible hand pushed roughly against him, flattening him back to the ground.

"This ends now," Thor growled angrily and he was rushing the Echo with the thunder rolling above them. The storm was building and Mjolnir crashed into the Tesseract powered spear, electricity jumping from the blow.

"You should have listened to your brother," Keir laughed, shoving hard against his new enemy.

Loki had to blink hard against the darkness that was threatening his vision, finally focusing on Sif who was leaned over him. "You called him," he hissed.

The goddess of war pursed her lips and turned dark eyes to the battle Thor had just let go of Mjolnir again, sending the hammer flying through the air.

It stopped suddenly, suspended as if from a string and Keir's smile grew. "Thank you, Odinson. I've been waiting for this."

"_Thor_!" Loki screamed, unable to pull himself to his feet in time.

Keir shifted, suddenly only a few feet in front of the surprised thunder god and he left the ground, leaping high into the air and bringing Mjolnir down against its master. Thor lifted his arms in an effort to block the blow and and it connected, a deafening crack sounding even as the power behind the blow drove him to the grass.

"_That_ is why I wished to keep my brother away," Loki growled angrily as he finally made it to his knees. His mind whirled, trying to cling to anything even akin to a decent plan. This one had not been. Exhaustion and pain had dulled his senses to the point that he hadn't even realized that he was the tool being used to pry the door open. It was embarrassing now, to think that he'd missed something that should have been so obvious. So blatantly obvious.

Then he'd gone and trusted Sif. And the others wondered why he was slow to trust.

"Loki?"

"I'm thinking," he rasped, shooting her a glare.

"Think faster. He's going to bludgeon your brother."

Thor had managed to dodge the next several attacks, but by the look of it Keir was playing with him. It was a terrible game of cat and mouse in which the mouse was about to be crushed. Loki had been on the other end of that hammer. He knew what it could do to a body, immortal or not.

"Whose fault is that now?" He stopped, focussing. He could be cross with her later. In the end she made a judgement call and it may have saved his life. Now it was up to them to make sure it did not cost Thor his. "Of course," he breathed, realization finally striking.

"What?"

A wide smile stretched Loki's chapped lips and he finally got to his feet. "It's time we end this, wouldn't you say?"

* * *

Grant Ward had grown up in Boston. Not in the countryside, but in the heart of the city. He could count the number of times that he'd ridden a horse on one hand, including the time when his mother had taken he and his brothers down to visit her brother in Texas and he'd been thrown from the horse after his elder brother had spooked it. A trip to the hospital and multiple stitches later, he was sure that he did not like horses. Or his elder brother for that matter, but that had not been a new development at that point in his life.

Needless to say, he wasn't overly fond of horses.

Ward kicked hard into the animal's side, gaining speed for his effort as he raced across the field towards the door's edge. It towered above everything, but he could see a small form crouched against it, unseen by anything else, absorbed in what she was doing. After making sure that he hadn't gained too much attention in his ride, he made his way toward her, causing her to jump at the sound of the pounding hooves.

"Ward!"

"What the hell are you doing out in the open? Did that bastard leave you here?"

"The door's pulling from some sort of power source. He thinks that if he can take it out that I should be able to cut the power and then reverse it. Look. I've got everything set to go. The firewalls are impressive, but-"

"No one's bothered you? Standing out in the open like this?"

Skye shrugged. "Loki said something about a cloaking spell or something like that? I don't know, but I guess it worked."

"You have no idea where he's gone to?"

"My best guess, towards that," the hacker said, eyes trained on something in the distance.

Ward followed her line of sight as balls of fire soared through the air.

* * *

TBC

A/N: Short one today, I know. I'm sorry!


	12. Part Twelve

A/N: I can't even... Have you seen that clip? The one of Loki and Thor in the Star Wars styled flying contraption and Loki is side-seat driving and snarking the whole way. *dead* Why, Marvel? You're an American company! Why do you hate America so much that you make us wait until a week into November?!

* * *

**Part Twelve.**

Thor was not accustomed to dodging blows and his brother feared that there would be a great learning curve should he ever decide to add evasion to his fighting methods. Once Sif had been sent off on her errand he steadied himself on his feet. If his calculations were right, and they most often were, they'd have only a few minutes to get out if the way before they were caught in their own trap.

Loki shifted out and then into focus, not missing his brother's short sound of pain when he took hold of his arm, Mjolnir sailing through where they had been before returning to Keir's hand.

"Do you think that your tricks will do you any good at this point, Laufeyson?" the Echo laughed. "You're at the end of your powers. No matter how great they may be, there is always a limit. What is your plan? Retreat with your brother every time I draw near? I hold and command the great hammer Mjolnir now. I will find you both no matter the distance."

"I have no need to retreat again," Loki answered with a smug look.

Keir growled and threw the hammer, but it bounced off an unseen force field. "You think you can hold me in this? Even this drains you."

"Brother," Thor whispered, "you do have a plan, yes?"

"Of course," the trickster said with a smile. His lips stretched even wider as his eyes locked with the Echo's. "You've been pulling from me all this time to open your door, but by doing this you've left yourself wide open to my weaknesses."

"You wouldn't dare. You don't have the strength for it!"

"I'm stronger than most give me credit for," the second prince growled. Above them balls of fire had been launched into the sky from the catipolts that Loki had sent Sif after.

Realization seemed to strike both the crown prince and the Echo at once. "Loki, we must go," Thor hissed lowly in his ear.

"He'll escape if I let the barrier go!"

Thor opened his mouth to protest, but the look of pure determination on his younger brother's face silenced him. They were both covered in dirt and blood, the younger prince looking as if he were standing only by his own stubbornness.

Keir screamed as the balls of fire hit, the flames turned inward by the magical boundaries. Fire caught hold of the grass, spreading and charring it, giving the Echo no way to escape. The heat pushed against the wards and Loki cringed, feeling it against the palm of his outstretched hands.

The Echo stumbled forward and the two princes cringed at the sight of him, his skin showing signs of the burns that he'd already sustained. He leaned heavily against the barrier, the contained heat taking a quick toll. "There's more to this than you know," he rasped.

"I know that you have attacked our home and our allies. All to possess the Tesseract."

"I meant to free her. She's not what you think she is. All of this..." He gasped, blue eyes widening and he sank down to the ground, till leaning on the barrier. "... was to free her. All of this."

Loki found himself staring, even as the unnatural eyes slipped closed and he felt a hand touched his shoulder lightly. "Brother, let it go. Your hands have burned."

Green eyes blinked and the trickster let the spell slip. He turned, dazed, and his brother's name was on his lips even as his knees gave way.

* * *

"I see him!" Simmons half yelled as she and Fandral created a hill. Just beyond was Leo Fitz, standing mostly alone with a sort of glazed look about him, fingers punching away at a portable keypad as if he were fighting someone on the other end. By the expression plastered on his face, he was losing.

"Fitz!" the biochemist called out, rushing towards him even as her escort protested.

Leo didn't acknowledge her as he continued his online battle. Finally, after repeating his name again and again, she grabbed the tablet, breaking his concentration with it. He looked at her now, eyes bright blue and dark circles under them. He looked stretched too thin. "What have you done?" he demanded, pulling the tablet back and trying to resume.

"Fitz, it's over. We can go home now. We found you and we'll take you home."

"You don't understand," he said vaguely. "I've seen the Truth, Simmons. Give me time to stop Skye from ruining it all and we'll go to the Tesseract together. You'll see it too."

"What are you talking about? Skye's trying to shut the door with Loki."

The engineer snorted. "Weak. They're all weak. I'll show you, Jemma. I'll prove it to you."

"Jemma, he's not himself," Fandral said quietly, trying to pry her away.

They'd done something to him. The Tesseract had somehow altered his thought process and reasoning. She didn't know how, but she did know that the door had to be closed, and if Fitz and Skye were in a hack-off it might never happen.

Without warning Simmons grabbed for the tablet again, this time pulling it from her surprised partner's hands and it crashed to the ground. "Fitz, we've got to go home. You're being... silly is all. Agent Coulson will take us home."

Fitz stared at her steadily. "You've ruined it," he said and lashed out without warning.

Simmons made a started noise as her friend's hands wrapped around her throat. Suddenly her air was cut off and she struggled, only seeing the frustrated look he was giving her, as if she were nothing more than an old piece of technology that needed to be destroyed.

Fandral reacted immediately, pulling the engineer way. He caught Fitz upside the head with his elbow, causing the mortal to stagger dangerously. When he looked ready to attack again, he repeated the action and took him fully to the ground.

Simmons stood, horror written across her face. "Why would he do that?"

"The Tesseract can cause cause a great deal of in confusion, from what I understand." He scooped the limp form up. "Come on now. Back to wince you came," he coaxed with a charming smile and she followed him back down the hill.

* * *

"I don't get it," Skye groused from her place on the ground, desperately trying to outdo... something. "The power source has been cut, but it's like there's someone switching around the back channels. It's almost got to be Fitz. I can't imagine that something could turn him on us like that."

"I crossed paths with Agent Clint Barton once and we discussed it. It's powerful. Can you beat him?"

"Can _I_ beat him?" Skye laughed, but her expression didn't match the light tone.

Ward frowned and crouched next to her. "If you can't-"

"He's slipping. Shut up. I think I've got him."

She was entirely focused on the task at hand, muttering under her breath. Her S.O. watched her as she worked, feeling more than a bit useless. The area had been cleared out and he stood guard against an emptying field.

"Gotcha," Skye muttered. "Hope our guys are clear, because anything that walked through that door is about to get pulled back through."

Ward looked up as the archway made a strange sound, as if something very large was trying to shift against its own weight. Slowly, and with great effort it seemed, something shifted and any of the foreign soldiers began to be pulled back through the door by an invisible force. As the reversal picked up strength the sound grew and the ground around them began to shudder.

"It's not going to hold!" Ward yelled, grabbing for Skye's hand. He took it and pulled her up, the hacker scrambling to grab for her phone that was still hooked into the system. "Forget it! Come in!" he yelled, pulling her away.

The ground shifted and cracked as they ran, Skye being dragged along more than keeping up. She finally felt her feet leave the ground as Ward gave a finall tug, the grass splitting open beneath where she had been. The momentum sent her tumbling into him and both hit the ground skidding and rolling down a forming hill as the space where the had come from opened up.

"The pull's too much. It's crushing everything!" Skye yelled over the noise.

Ward wrapped his arms around her, turning his back to a soldier that was being pulled back through. He gave a grunt as the alien slammed into them, but didn't budge. It was like being caught in a tornado, he imagined, but one that would not take you from the ground. Only those that had come through the door seemed to be affected.

The next hit was harder and drove them to the ground, the agent taking the brunt of it as they hit.

When it slowed down and the sound died, Skye risked cracking an eye open. All she could see was a fitted black t-shirt directly in front of her and it took her a moment to wrap her mind around that she was on her back against the broken soil of a different world and that Grant Ward had potentially saved her from getting dragged into the portal along with the foreign soldiers that had flown by. Or at least crushed by one.

She shifted only to realize she was pinned and he seemed to just be in the process if coming around. He gave a low groan and a pair of dark eyes finally eased open. "You okay?"

"Besides being half crushed by an absurdly tall guy and nearly being pulled into yet another demension? Yeah. I'm grea. Does SHIELD cover therapy?"

Ward snorted and rolled off of her. He sat and looked around for a moment, and when he was sure that the worst had passed he let himself fall back against the hill and let a long breath out through his nose.

"Thanks."

He cracked an eye to look over at her.

"For saving my life. And limbs. And... Well for coming after me. You okay?"

"Just processing," he said slowly.

"What, none of your missions ever take you to alien planets?"

"Not even close." He paused and risked a glance at her. She looked like he felt: like they'd been to hell and back in the past 24 hours. Part of him hoped that it was some crazy dream his mind had cooked up during his nap and that he'd wake up in a moment or two and forget it within an hour. As he shifted and felt the pain start to settle in, he didn't think it was likely.

"Guess we should head back?"

"Mm," came the non-committal response, but he began to stand, helping her up as well. "You did well."

"I'm sorry, my ears are still ringing. What was that?"

Ward glared and Skye grinned.

"Not a compliment. Not from Agent Grant Ward."

He grunted his response, waving her off as he began to trudge forward in foot, the horse long gone and a hacker laughing at his side.

* * *

TBC


	13. Epilogue

A/N: Last chapter is a bit longer. Not entirely sure how that happened. Ah well. So, I will probably not be actively posting anything of length during the month of November. It's super busy with NaNoWiMo and various other craziness piled on top of that. If a plot bunny snaps at my ankles and refuses to let go (which it very well might after Thor The Dark World) you may see a one shot or two pop up, but probably not a full length piece. I will be working on my own project this next month. Feel free to come check out my progress over at NaNoWiMo and if you're on it too, let me know so I can come support you!

* * *

**Epilogue**

Part of him was still angry. If Loki hadn't decided to try his hand at things alone - or at least without him - things would have most certainly gone smoother. The Echo may not have made it to Asgard at all if the thunderer had been there to...

Thor sighed heavily as his still-healing arm twinged. Mjolnir, wielded by the deranged invader, had shattered the elder prince's right arm entirely, only cracking the bone in the left as it had not taken a direct blow. He knew, no matter his own irritation at it, what Loki had been trying, in his own way, to protect them from. Though Thor was willing to give what he had given to ensure his brother reached the end of the battle alive.

And Loki did live at least. Once the portal had been reversed and closed in on itself they had all returned to the palace in varying states of injury. Coulson and May had gone into overdrive, both appearing mostly intact despite the blood and waved off the healers trying to check them. Thor tried to do the same and follow his unresponsive brother, but Rowen had stopped him, making it very clear that he would not be allowed into the younger prince's room until his own injuries had been seen to.

So here he sat, in an uncomfortably chair next to his sleeping sibling. Loki hadn't stirred since he'd first come in. Nor had he moved when he'd gone to meet with Coulson over the status of his team. Fitz was still sleeping, having woken only briefly with a fever and bright eyes not quite cleared if the Tesseract's control. The healers had seen to him and Thor had returned to find his brother wholly unmoved.

"Still nothing?"

The crown prince startled, turning to see Sif in the doorway. "Nothing yet," he admitted. "Master Rowen has said it will take time. He pushed himself too far."

"Blood or not, it runs in your family," she said gently. After a moment she sighed. "He was quite cross that I called you."

"It had to be done. He'll see that when he wakes."

The goddess of war snorted a laugh. "I've never given care to what Loki thinks. If I did he'd simply find a way to use it."

"No one can doubt that, but..." He chuckled almost to himself. "My brother trusts very few, and yet I do believe in the most recent years you have gained that trust."

"Until this day."

Thor did not miss the tone of her voice and offered a smile. "I'm sure he will forgive you."

Sif made a noncommittal noise. "Your father is home."

"Ah," Thor said, but it sounded more like a sigh. He stood slowly, his gaze drifting to his brother.

"I'll wait in case he wakes while you're gone."

"Thank you," he murmured and was gone, leaving Sif to sink down in the chair and wait.

* * *

Jemma Simmons had never been good at waiting. She had a natural rezevoir of energy that she usually threw into her work. Since they'd found Fitz and Fandral had led her back to the palace, she felt like she were in a daze. All of her usual energy had left her, and when the kind looking healer had asked her if she'd like to sit with her partner for a few minutes she had followed in a lethargic sort of way.

That had been nearly a full day now and he'd only stirred once. She hadn't even been there for it. The waiting was killing her.

"I'm sorry, Fitz," she whispered, taking his limp hand in her own and burying her face into the sheets that it rested on. Soft sobs escaped and she gripped his hand a little tighter. "I'm so sorry. We should have just stayed out. We shouldn't have gone into the field we -" She stopped, another sob catching in her throat. "I'm so sorry, Fitz."

"Wha' do you got to be sorry for?"

Simmons sat up, eyes wide. Even through the tears she saw a strained smile and the fingers in hers squeezed back. "Leo!"

"Easy," the engineer gasped as his partner all but threw herself on him, arms as well wrapped around his neck as she could get them at the awkward angle. He groaned even as she let go. "I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Several times. Backed up. Came at me again. Was there a truck?"

"I don't think so."

"Feels like it," he moaned and looked back up at her. "Your neck… what happened, Simmons?"

Thin fingers went to the bruises that must have formed at some point over the last day. They were the size of Fitz's fingers, and by the expression that settled over his face she knew that the memory was not entirely lost to him.

"Oh my… Jemma, I'm sorry!"

"It's alright," she said with forced smile. "You weren't yourself. But you're you again. And everything's okay now. Everyone's alive and as soon as you're feeling better Thor is going to send us back to Earth."

"We're not on…" Fitz looked around, sitting up quicker than probably would have been advised. The room was white, with sheer curtains flowing around an open window and what looked like a sheer drop outside, but he couldn't be entirely sure. The terrain beyond the window was most certainly not earth. "I think I need to lie down… Did you say Thor?"

"Mhm."

"Like the Avenger?"

"That's what I said," Simmons answer with a teasing smile.

"Like… aliens that the Vikings used to worship as gods?"

"The very ones."

"So you're saying I didn't dream that Loki showed up, right?"

"Not unless we've somehow been connected on a mental link that would allow for dream sharing and-"

"Not probable."

"But not impossible."

"You're not helping. I didn't… Well I didn't do anything that hurt them, did I?"

Simmons paused, pursing her lips together. "I think everyone's going to be okay."

"You think?"

"How much do you remember?"

"Bits and pieces, really. Did I try to out-hack Skye?"

"You tried," Simmons laughed. She shrugged, thinking when the look she received told her Fitz wasn't going to let her out of the earlier question. "Ward got knocked around a bit, protecting Skye mostly, and I think May had a gash on her arm, but the doctors here are incredible. They use sciences we've never dreamed of. I'd love to talk to them and tinker with a few things, but Coulson said as soon as you were on your feet we'd be out of here."

"I think I'd like to go home. What about Loki and Thor? I guess they're alright?"

"I don't know," Simmons admitted softly. "They fought Keir, the guy that took you. I haven't seen much of them, but Thor's arm was broken pretty badly and as far as I've heard, Loki still hasn't woken." She watched his reaction carefully and gave his hand a squeeze. "Don't worry too much. They're really strong. I'm sure they'll be fine. I got rescued by someone they call Fandral the Dashing! Do you want to hear the story?"

"I'd love to," Fitz said sleepily and listened as his partner spoke with hands flying until he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Thor wasn't sure why he felt like he was about to receive a scolding as he entered the throne room. Perhaps because Odin might feel as if he could not leave without risking some sort of catastrophe, presumably egged on by his two sons that seemed to attract danger like flowers attracted a bee.

The All Father stood with his back to the door, speaking with Master Rowen as his elder son entered. The lead healer nodded once and shuffled out, only acknowledging the prince in passing. This did nothing to ease his feelings.

"Thor," Odin boomed. "I understand that there was trouble while I was away."

"Yes, Father. An Echo came to Asgard seeking the Tesseract."

"And what of the mortals that are currently in the healing chambers and the outer halls?"

"They are SHIELD agents. The Echo used one of theirs to pull open a door to Asgard."

Odin let a long sigh out through his nose, sounding as if he were holding back his anger only by the barest bit of restraint, but when he turned his face held none of the usual signs and he even offered his eldest a very small smile. "You've done well, my son," he said and Thor was certain that he would fall over from the surprise of the praise.

"Father, Loki-"

"Rowen was just telling me of his condition. Your brother is strong, Thor. Rest is what he requires. He'll come around when his body can handle the strain of wakefulness. Magic is a delicate balance." He paused, as if waiting for something that had not come and probably would not. "Go. I will handle the details with the mortals and get them home safely when they have rested."

"Father, I understand my responsibilities-"

"I am pleased that you understand them, but for now there is one particular responsibility that your mother gave you when you were both very small. Look after him."

Thor nodded, nearly running directly into Coulson as the agent stepped through the door, looking as if he were going over the instructions on how to get there in his head fifteen times over. "Son of Coul!" the thunderer greeted in a rushed tone. "Your team?"

"Much better. Fitz woke up, so we should be going soon."

"I'm pleased he is doing so well. If you'll excuse me?" He waited only long enough to receive a vague nod in return and was gone, leaving Phil a little confused.

"I offered to handle your trip back home so that he could sit with his brother," Odin explained and Coulson nodded.

"On behalf of my team, I would like to thank you and Thor for your hospitality-"

"It sounds as if you were caught in a scheme meant for us. It is the least Asgard could do for you." Odin paused, single blue eye taking in every reaction he received. "I understand that Loki broke the agreement by appearing on Midgard without Thor."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Coulson said with a shrug. "He did more good than harm though, so we count it as a win."

"I am pleased. We do not intend to run over you as Bilgesnipe might a rabbit in the field."

Coulson chuckled "Bilgesnipe again. Someday I'm going to have to see one of those things for myself."

* * *

Rowen was leaving Loki's room as Thor rounded the corner, looking exhausted after the last few hours. "Someone would like to see you," he murmured, offering a tired smile.

Thor didn't pause to answer as he burst through the half-closed door, startling the occupants and the injured prince winced slightly at his own jumpy movements. "Thor. You're usually here when I wake."

"Forgive me, brother. I should have been."

Sif stood from the chair. "I'll leave you two."

"I'm still cross with you," Loki rasped, but with less malice would have accompanied true words.

The goddess of war smirked and started for the door. "You'll get over it."

Loki shook his head, chuckling softly to himself. Green eyes came to focus on Thor's own bandaged injury. "How's your arm?"

"Healing. Master Rowen said I should keep it wrapped for a week if for nothing else than to remind me that it is not up to full strength."

"A fair advisement. In all, you could have been injured much worse."

"Like you were."

The trickster snorted. "The injury to my health comes more from overexertion than physical injury. This," he gestured down to where Thor knew bandages had been rewrapped beneath his loose tunic, "is nothing compared to some injuries. It was the magic used on it that caused the problem." He paused, watching his brother's reaction. "You're angry with me."

"What gave that away?" Thor answered with more snap than he meant to.

"Brother, I-"

Thor sighed heavily. "Whatever you have prepared will not ease my frustration, Loki. Only time will and perhaps I shall come to understand why you seem so unwilling to give me half a thought when-"

"To give you half a thought?" the trickster growled, pulling himself up in the bed with tremendous effort. "You blind, self-centered, arrogant fool."

"Don't be petty, brother."

"Petty? You could have been killed."

"And if I hadn't come to offer as a distraction, you would have been," Thor answered in a soft tone. He waited until his brother's expression eased and sat next to him.

"And there we have it," Loki murmured, leaning into the larger Aesir without warning.

"I won't lose you again, Loki. I couldn't bare it."

"Nor I you."

"So where does this leave us? Never speaking plainly when danger arrives? Always risking everything and in the end putting both of our lives in the line?"

"It does appear the be the same."

"I don't want to be cross with you. Can we not promise to trust each other more?"

Loki chuckled. "Seems like a worthy goal, if nothing else."

"That's the best I'm getting, isn't it?"

"Mm." Loki shifted, still propped against his brother with the elder prince leaning back. "Are your friends gone already?"

"Coulson seemed preparing to leave when I saw him a few minutes ago."

"But not yet?"

Blond brows knit together. "No. Why?"

"Help me up?"

"Loki, you are not-"

His younger brother scowled. "I'm asking you for help instead of sending you away and doing it in my own," he pointed out irritably.

"Perhaps I should give you credit where it is due," Thor chuckled.

Loki smiled and took the hand that was offered to him. "Perhaps you should."

* * *

There was no denying the beauty of Asgard, or the desire not to have to give a report on everything that had happened to what was most likely a very angry Director Fury after the BUS had shown up empty to the nearest SHIELD landing space, but Agent Phil Coulson was sure that he was ready to be home. He watched his team banter back and forth as if nothing had happened. Fitz was a bit worn looking and more than a little embarrassed, but the others seemed happy to have him back. Skye was already cracking jokes about giving the engineer lessons on hacking and May had even given him a rare smile when he'd walked through with Simmons nearly connected at his side. As far as he knew, the biochemist hadn't let Fitz out of her sight since he'd woken.

"Well this does look like a party ready to scurry off back to the mundane," a voice drawled behind him.

Coulson whirled, and found the god of mischief grinning at him, seeming very pleased with the sudden unease. "Well look at you standing on your own two feet."

This brought a chuckle from the prince. "Yes, well, perhaps just," he admitted and glanced back to where his brother was standing by, speaking with the young Agent Ward. Neither Coulson nor Loki missed the fact that the thunderer continued to glance over every few moments, as if checking on his younger brother. "I see your team came through mostly intact."

"Mostly. I hear there are some… prolonged effects from the Tesseract."

"Hmm. That is one way to put it. He'll have a long road ahead of him, regardless."

"I'm thinking about bringing Erik Selvig along on one of our trips. You know, see if he can walk him through any of the healing process." Coulson sucked in a deep breath, squared his shoulders and let it back out slowly. "Thank you. For all your help on this."

"Let's not repeat it any time soon?"

"Fair enough. You ever find out what that nutcase was after?"

"The Tesseract. Thor thinks it best to destroy it."

"If you can, we won't complain. I know I'd sleep better."

Loki chuckled at the statement, but then his face turned serious and his voice dropped so that Coulson had to take a step closer to hear him. "I don't mean to pry," he all but whispered, "but I've wondered for some time now. How exactly did you survive our first encounter?"

Phil gave him a lopsided smile. "Mortal medicine may not be up to par with Asgardian, but we've got a few tricks."

"And tricks often have consequences."

This seemed to startle the agent, but he quickly masked it. "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know then, do you? I shouldn't be the one to say."

"Sir, you ready?" Ward called.

Coulson glanced over, holding up a hand to indicate just a moment more. "What are you talking about, Loki?"

"Nothing," the trickster said with a charming smile. "As you said, Midgardian and Asgardian medicines are very different. I'm sure it's nothing. Have a safe journey, Agent Coulson. I do hope that the next time we meet there are happier circumstances."

"Me too," Coulson said, looking as if he were weighing his options for pushing the subject and deciding against it.

Loki watched him turn and join his team. He did not blink until they were escorted from the room, and even then he moved stiffly over to the window and watched their trek down the Rainbow Bridge to the Bifrost.

"Are you well, brother?" Thor asked at his side.

"I think I should go back to rest. It wouldn't harm you to as well."

His brother nodded, slowing his usual gait to match Loki's slower movements and wrapping an arm around his shoulder in a careful manner. As they trudged through the halls the younger prince tried to banish the thoughts that swirled in his mind - not only the strange feeling that had surrounded Agent Coulson, but Keir's last words as well - and focus on the steady light that was brother and the steadiness that surrounded him.

* * *

END.

A/N: Anyone else wondering what it is that Fury did to save Coulson? I'm dying to know, not going to lie. To be honest, I don't have any personal, working theories yet, but I think Loki would sense something, since humans seem to be sensing it on the show. Just a thought.


End file.
